COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD

Nora Barquin

Nora was born and raised in Mexico City. She moved to the Chicago area in 1991 and currently resides in Highland Park with her husband. She holds a PhD in Biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and an MSW from Loyola University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

In 2001, after many years of working in medical research and volunteering with the immigrant community, she decided to pursue a Master of Social Work. She has a broad range of experience working with Latino immigrants in different settings. Since 2002, she has worked with the Latino residents of Moraine Township. Her work has spanned both administrative roles and direct service, allowing her to gain a comprehensive understanding of community needs. She is currently a Clinical Associate at the Cancer Wellness Center.

Since 2014, she has volunteered with Moraine Township, contributing as an interpreter for the VITA program and serving on the Latino Advisory Committee.

She is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve on the Moraine Township Community Mental Health Board and to help guide efforts that address the needs of

Zach Duenow

Zach grew up in Highland Park, raised by two graduates of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, both North Shore natives. For the past two decades, he has worked in marketing and advertising, driving creative transformation at a global scale with companies such as Kraft, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Foote, Cone & Belding, and IDEO. In addition to his professional work, Zach has been deeply involved in the district’s 12-step community for the past decade, founding the North Shore’s first chapters of Adult Children of Alcoholism and Dysfunction (ACOA) and Marijuana Anonymous. He regularly speaks at SunCloud Health, sharing his experience, strength, and hope, and teaches poetry at the DuPage County Jail to support inmate rehabilitation. Zach is grateful to serve on the Moraine Township Mental Health Board and looks forward to contributing to the advancement of mental health initiatives in the community.

Kari Guhl

Kari Guhl has lived in Highland Park since 1995 and raised her son in the Ravinia neighborhood.

Kari has a BFA in graphic design from the University of Kansas.  She has worked in the fine art industry for 35+ years, including gallery management, launching the Art of Dr. Seuss, artist agent for Mackenzie Thorpe as well as collaborations on special projects for other artists. 

In 2017 Kari also launched the specialty food company Sally’s Nuts with her mom Sally.  During the pandemic Sally’s Nuts enjoyed a retail location in the Ravinia District until moving their wholesale manufacturing business to a facility in the Briergate corridor of Highland Park.

Kari and her son started volunteering at the Moraine Township Food Pantry in 2014 to give back to the community with time and passion for helping others.  To continue community service Kari joined the CMHB to help launch and establish a valuable service for those in the Moraine Township.

Allison Levin

Allison Levin and her husband Brad have lived in Highland Park for over 30 years, raising their son and two daughters. Allison is a Managing Director at Fidelity Investments. She has a BA in English Literature from Northwestern University and an MBA from The University of Chicago.

Allison’s passion has been elevating at risk children and youth. Her past involvement has included Citizen Schools of Illinois, both Board Member and weekly classroom volunteer and corporate programming organizer; Board Member and Human Resource Chair for The Women’s Treatment Center; Chicago Public Schools Tutor. At Fidelity she serves on several Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task forces.

Over the years, Allison’s additional community service involved her children and organizing classroom activity, including PADS, Habitat for Humanity, Maot Chitim.

Allison is grateful for the opportunity to focus on safety-net services for children
and families in need as a Moraine Township Trustee and to work with the Township VITA Program as a volunteer helping to prepare free income tax returns for low- income taxpayers. 

David Paushter

After 39 years as a practicing radiologist, David retired in 2024.  His career included Section Chief positions in two academic medical centers, Chairmanship of a private practice, Vice Chair of Operations and Quality, Department of Radiology, the University of Chicago and Professor and Chair of Radiology, the University of Chicago. David had an active academic career, teaching hundreds of residents and fellows, participating in grants, and publishing over 100 scientific papers and clinical guidelines.

David served as a committee member for multiple scientific and professional societies during his career, with several Committee Chairmanships. He has received multiple honors and awards during his career and is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology, the Society of Abdominal Radiology and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

David served as a member of the city of Highland Park Housing Commission from 2020-2024, serving as Vice Chair from 2021-2023. He is pleased to be afforded the opportunity to once again contribute to the local community through his current Chair position of the Moraine Township Community Mental Health Board.

David has lived in the Chicago area for over 30 years, the majority spent in Highland Park. He currently resides in Highland Park, IL with his spouse and their dog, and has four grown children, as well as the recent addition of a grandchild.

Desmond (Des) Raftery

I am a resident of Fort Sheridan for the past seven years.  I am a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 30 years experience in community mental health services. As part of my work experience I was the Clinical Director at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital providing mental health inpatient services to adults. Then for the past 23 years until my retirement in 2023, I worked as the Social Service Supervisor for the Elk Grove Village police department.  In this capacity I was involved in assisting residents access mental health services and provided victim assistance to residents who were victims of crime.  I established a substance abuse program that provided direct referral placement in recovery centers.  The program was paid for through Village and State funding.  Presently, I have a counseling practice in Highland Park.

I am very excited to be part of this great endeavor and I look forward to learning more about the needs in our community and working with the Moraine Township Community Mental Health Board.

Heather Schwartz

Heather moved to Highland Park three years ago with her husband Bryan, daughter Ava (3), and son Asher (5).  Her 20-year career has been in education, moving from classroom teacher to Instructional Coach to her current role as Practice Advisor at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). In this role Heather helps to define and identify high-quality SEL programming, coaches districts through programmatic implementation, and contributes to CASEL's many free tools and resources. She has a degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia University. Heather believes deeply in the power of community-building and prevention to support thriving communities. She enjoys reading fiction, dancing/yoga, and coffee. 

Specific skill sets: writing for diverse audiences/ presenting and facilitating/ Middle and Highschool education and development. 

Dr. Daniel Yohanna

Daniel Yohanna is a board-certified psychiatrist in general and forensic psychiatry. He received his medical degree from Rush Medical College and completed his internship and psychiatric residency at Northwestern University Medical School. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.  Dr. Yohanna has served on many committees and task forces on the treatment of the severe and persistent mentally ill.  He has published and lectured on integrating behavioral health in primary care, chronic mental illness, and forensic psychiatry.  Dr. Yohanna has lived in Highland Park with his wife Jody since 1987 and they raised two children who now reside in Chicago.