Meet our new Community Impact Project Manager!
We are delighted to announce that Jenn Luevano-Brummett has joined SVP Portland as our new Community Impact Project Manager! In this role, Jenn provides project management for our Partner volunteer teams, designs and oversees internal processes and systems to ensure maximum impact of our capacity building partnerships, and implements our evaluation strategy so that we’re continually learning and improving our work.
Jenn is a native Oregonian who grew up in the small fishing village of Winchester Bay. She has a BA in Spanish and Social Sciences, recently completed graduate certificates in Conflict Resolution and Collaborative Governance, and is currently finishing her MS in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies at PSU.
Prior to joining SVP, Jenn was a Resident Service Coordinator at Hacienda CDC, supporting the Cully neighborhood. Her passion lies in mediation, and her dream is to work as an international mediator, ideally with the State Department, focusing on Mexico-US relations.
Jenn is thrilled to be joining a team that’s making a tangible difference in the community, and brings experience as a skilled relationship builder and facilitator. Her experience in conflict resolution helps her navigate difficult situations effectively as she works to create spaces where people feel a sense of belonging.
When asked about why SVP’s early childhood goal is important to her, Jenn shared: “My own experience in Head Start demonstrates the transformational power of early childhood education. My mother was a single teen mom in rural Oregon, and having the ability to drop me off at childcare was crucial in keeping us housed. Additionally, working in affordable housing, I witnessed the barriers families face due to a lack of affordable childcare. I believe every child deserves access to quality early education and culturally responsive programming for a strong foundation.”
Jenn also spoke about how essential it is for children to have access to culturally specific programming. “Having grown up in a Spanish speaking household and not having the opportunity to speak our home language at school caused me to feel like I didn’t fit in, there was a large learning curve, and over time I spoke less and less Spanish. This was a huge cultural loss for our family.”
Jenn is an avid traveler who enjoys backpacking and once hitchhiked around the world, living on just $10 a day. Sometimes her adventure cat, a Flame Point Siamese, joins her on hikes too! A fun fact about Jenn is that she won Miss Prineville in 2011, and competed in the Miss Oregon competition, winning the second highest award.
Each year, she loves to dedicate herself to learning a new physical activity: this year, she’s completing a 300-hour yoga teacher training, and next year plans to learn jiu jitsu and surfing. She also loves dancing, singing karaoke with friends, and spending quality time with loved ones. You can reach out to her at jenn@svpportland.org if you’d like to connect and welcome her to SVP!
