Planting Seeds for the Future
Briscoe is a Latina in mental health recovery with over 10 years of nonprofit leadership experience.
Welcoming Sunny Briscoe as our Executive Director
We are thrilled to announce that Sunny Briscoe has officially stepped into the role of Executive Director at El Jardín, effective September 16, 2026. Following a rigorous national search facilitated by an independent consultant, Sunny was chosen from a competitive pool of applicants for her deep operational expertise, long-term strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to our community.
Sunny debuted her new role as Executive Director at the Amigas, Hermanas, Guerreras Women's Symposium and is already hard at work advancing El Jardín’s mission.
Proven Leadership & Deep Community Roots
Sunny is no stranger to El Jardín’s mission. Having served as our Deputy Director for the past two years, she brings comprehensive hands-on leadership spanning finance, operations, human resources, and program development.
Before joining El Jardín, Sunny spent eight years rising through the ranks to become Deputy Director at The Peer Company (formerly the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon — MHAAO). During her tenure there, she played a pivotal role in bridging services for the Latino community by facilitating a historic partnership between MHAAO and Northwest Instituto Latino of Addictions (now El Jardín). Through her leadership, MHAAO’s Peer Wellness Specialist Certification training was successfully translated and culturally adapted to empower Spanish-speaking Latino behavioral health professionals.
A Vision Rooted in Recovery and Grounded in Culture
As Executive Director, Sunny’s leadership is guided by a core commitment: keeping our services deeply rooted in recovery and grounded in culture. Her long-term strategic priorities for El Jardín include:
Financial Sustainability via Social Enterprise: Building long-term financial independence by developing social enterprise initiatives that reinvest directly into our recovery programs.
Nationalizing El Instituto: Expanding access to our El Instituto trainings nationwide, creating a centralized hub where Latino behavioral health professionals across the country can plant their seeds, access continuing education, and build professional networks.
Briscoe has a real conversation with Portland staff about El Jardín’s future.
Expanding Our Impact
Sunny takes the helm at a momentous time for our organization. El Jardín was recently awarded a grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) to deliver culturally responsive training directly to professionals and community members, bringing vital harm reduction and recovery information straight to the people to address the opioid crisis head-on.
Reflecting El Jardín’s growing national reputation, Sunny is currently in Georgia presenting on the critical importance of culturally specific training opportunities in behavioral health.
“I want to share my heartfelt thanks to our Board of Directors and our community for granting me the privilege to lead El Jardín. This organization has always been a home for healing, connection, and empowerment, and I am thrilled to plant these new seeds. Together we will nurture our mission into its next beautiful chapter.” - Sunny Briscoe, Executive Director
Meet Sunny at Our Upcoming Multicultural Dignity Day!
We invite you to celebrate this new chapter with us in person. El Jardín was recently invited by the National Alliance to End Homelessness to host a Multicultural Day of Dignity at the Portland Center. This event is aimed at bringing the Houseless community together to enjoy warm food and directly access community resources that can help them stabilize and stay safe this winter.
Location: Portland Center - 10209 SE Division St., Building B, Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266
Date & Time: October 28 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Come meet Sunny, connect with our team, and learn more about how we are continuing our mission to serve the Latino community through culturally specific recovery support, harm reduction, and professional development.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
