Our Team
April Dvorak
President
April Dvorak, PMHNP-BC, is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with a passion for practical, effective and meaningful mental health care. She is the founder of Head Well – Integrative Psychiatry & Wellness, a mental health practice based in Eugene Oregon, and co-founder and current President for Projects on Purpose Inc (POPI), a nonprofit serving the seriously mentally ill population through connection, community and purpose. A native of Houston, Texas, April started her academic journey at Texas A&M University, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. She continued her education at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where she studied undergraduate nursing in 2011. She worked as a nurse in the Neonatal ICU and then various psychiatric settings before returning to obtain her Master of Science in Nursing and board certification from the ANCC as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2017.  She has extensive experience in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings and a wide range of patient populations, including serious mental illness (SMI), corrections, forensic, adolescent, and geriatric psychiatry. April moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2022 and served as the attending provider for a forensic residential treatment unit at Oregon State Hospital where she led a team of clinicians and staff individuals found Guilty Except Insanity (GEI) recover and reintegrate into the community. After years of practicing in the public sector and clunky, bureaucratic institutions, April left OSH to start Head Well. She wanted to build a model based on efficiency and long-term, sustainable solutions. She believes in making sense of things and working through tough problems. April started Head Well – Integrative Psychiatry in hopes of doing both. Head Well has grown to employee more than a dozen people and serves hundreds of Oregonians in achieving their mental health goals with a focus on wellness and individual optimization rather than symptom reduction. April’s clinical approach is integrative and functionally rooted. She is fascinated by how personality structure and emotional and behavior patterns account for much of how we view and interact with the world. She believes people co-create their realities, and understanding oneself is the key to a cohesive, productive, and meaningful existence.  April is passionate about mental health advocacy and maintaining humanity, rationality, and integrity in psychiatry and social services. She was recently named one of Eugene’s Top 20 under 40, and continues to strive to bring purpose and mental wellness to her community.
Dominic Paris
Vice President
Dominic Paris is an attorney with 10 years of experience advising Oregon businesses and nonprofit organizations on a wide range of topics, including taxation, contracts, governance matters, and civil litigation. As a founding partner of the law firm London & Paris LLP, Dominic is committed to providing access to justice for individuals and small businesses.​
Tracy and Jef Sloat
Treasurer / Director at Large
Jef and Tracy serve on the POPI Board of Directors in memory of their son, Tony, who lost his battle with a serious mental illness at 17 years old. They know the struggles, firsthand, of trying to navigate a broken, fragmented mental health system trying to find the right level of care and support for their son. As Directors, Jef and Tracy are committed to the creation of quality programs and affordable housing communities that provide care, support, and understanding for individuals living with serious mental illness. Jef grew up in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Jef recently completed a forty-four-year career as an aerospace engineer with an expertise in the design, production, and support of critical computer systems for both business and commercial aircraft. A highlight of his career was involvement in the development of communication systems for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. As a volunteer, Jef participated as a mentor in the Valley Big Brother program which has morphed into a thirty-year friendship with his Valley Little Brother. Outside of his professional endeavors, Jef is an avid adventurer, enjoying hiking, sailing, rock climbing, and back-country exploration. Jef is now enjoying the adventure of grand fatherhood with his grandson, Grayson.  Tracy grew up in New Mexico and Oregon and has a Master's in Advance Practice Community Health Nursing from the University of Washington and a Doctorate in Nursing, specializing in psychiatric/mental health across the lifespan from Arizona State University. Tracy has over thirty years of nursing experience across a variety of populations including veterans, active-duty military, maternal child health, and public health. A highlight of her early career was working as a nurse for three years in rural Bangladesh. More recently a highlight was working for two years as the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. Tracy currently works as a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner serving clients across Lane County. Tracy has volunteered with numerous organizations over the years, including serving for two years on the Arizona Foster Care Review Board and more recently for one year with the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Lane County. Tracy enjoys spending time with her son Jon and his growing family in addition to planning and executing travel adventures around the world with Jef and friends. Jef and Tracy moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2021 and feel genuinely privileged to be founding partners of POPI.
Mia Boessen
Secretary
Mia Boessen is a dedicated occupational therapist with a strong commitment to empowering individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Originally from a small farm in Missouri, Mia relocated to Oregon in 2015 after earning her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Missouri. She has since contributed significantly to the Oregon State Hospital, where she specializes in sensory regulation, cognitive functioning, and functional living skills. Mia’s practice is deeply rooted in her values of personal choice, autonomy, and daily joy. She is passionate about helping her clients become their best selves, which is reflected in her innovative approach to therapy. For instance, she developed a horticultural therapy program that allows clients to experience the therapeutic benefits of gardening and enjoy fresh, nutritious foods. At Projects on Purpose, Mia is channeling her expertise into opening a new treatment center in Eugene, Oregon. Her goal is to create a supportive environment where individuals with SMI can receive holistic, client-centered care that promotes both their mental and physical well-being. Outside of her professional life, Mia enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening, cooking, and collecting troll dolls—a hobby that highlights her playful and creative spirit.
