Advisory Board
Charity Biggs
CADC I, PWS, CRM; Tri-County Program Manager MHAAO
Residential Counselor at Volunteers of America Women’s Center
Charity has been a dedicated advocate for her community for over 14 years with a passion for family reunification, healing, and recovery. Drawing from her lived experience, including overcoming challenges such as foster care, poverty, and housing instability, she is committed to supporting others on their path to wellness. Despite facing the impacts of addiction, incarceration, and trauma within her family, Charity has built a life of safety and security for herself and her daughter. She finds immense fulfillment in helping others strive for a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Tianna Forbes
CADCI-II, QMHA-I, CRM-II; Counselor at Another Chance Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center of Portland
Tianna is a dedicated Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) with a profound passion for helping others on their journey to recovery. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and aspiring to obtain her Master’s, she combines professional expertise with lived experience to offer empathetic and effective support. Known for her compassionate nature and unwavering commitment, Tianna excels in creating a safe and supportive environment for those navigating the challenges of addiction and recovery. Her holistic approach and strong advocacy for mental health make her a trusted ally in the recovery community, where she strives to empower individuals to achieve lasting, positive change.
Mario Cardenas
CADCI, CRMII, CGRM; KSA Latino/Latinx OCE Coordinator
Mario Cardenas is a man in long term recovery with lived experience in substance abuse, mental health, and incarceration as well as family unification. Because of this he has been able to use his lived experience as a lead mentor, facilitator for trainings through MHACBO, and as a primary counselor for the first Latino Spanish speaking intensive outpatient housing Program (Latino Homebase Recovery Program) with VOA and clinical specialist care coordinator for the Multnomah County PATH team where he connected people to recovery services at all levels.
He is a strong advocate for family unification, houseless populations, education, youth drug prevention, and harm reduction. He is currently the first Latino KSA culturally-specific program coordinator for the Latinx community with Multnomah County’s office of Consumer Engagement. As a person with lived experience, he was able to see first-hand the benefits of receiving services from TPN and as a community partner he has been able to connect many participants to the resources TPN provides. Mario’s passion is to continue advocating, serving our community with the help of those who share the same passion. For Mario it is a privilege to be a part of the advisory board for TPN.
Terri Brister
Terri started her journey in the wrong direction of life in the late 1990’s, as well as a short lived time of gang activity in the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon. With a loss of self, kids, and mental health, wound up in and out of jails, penitentiaries, and correction offices constantly. In 2013 a change came about. Terri finally knew just what she wanted, her family back and raise her baby boy Antonio. So in the high point in her life she started giving back by cooking, finding resources for housing and utilities, and more for her neighborhood families. Having just experienced a major loss, Terri and her son continue push forward with life by working hard on self and inner strength to be a compassionate, loving, giving person to any and all. Terri is a good cook and loves feeding family and friends in her spare time.
Join the Advisory Board
We’re seeking passionate individuals from across all the counties we serve to join our Advisory Board. This is a virtual opportunity, open to people with lived experience who want to help lead meaningful change.
As an Advisory Board Member, you’ll play a vital role in guiding our work and ensuring that the voices of those directly impacted by systems are heard, respected, and centered.
Compensation is provided for your time and expertise.
To be considered, you must:
– Have lived experience with system(s)
– Be able to commit to a 1-year term
Your voice matters—come help shape the path forward.