City of Portland Announces Ebony Morgan as New Program Manager for Portland Street Response

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Morgan most recently served as Program Director for the City of Los Angeles' Unarmed Model of Crisis Response, where she led 24/7 dispatch and multidisciplinary field operations, managed a multi-million dollar annual program operations budget, and helped build one of the nation's largest alternative emergency response systems. Previously, she served as Program Director for CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon, a longstanding mobile crisis response program recognized nationally as a model for community-based crisis intervention. Across both organizations, Morgan has built high-performing teams, strengthened cross-system partnerships, and helped shape crisis response policy and operations at the local and national levels.

A Registered Nurse, Morgan also serves on the Board of Directors for the Alternative Mobile Services Association (AMSA), has testified before the United States Senate on crisis response innovation, and has earned executive certificates in Alternative 911 Emergency Response and Nonprofit Management & Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School.

"Ebony brings an exceptional combination of operational expertise, clinical knowledge, and strategic leadership," said Stephanie Howard, Director of Community Safety. "She understands both the frontline work and the systems required to build sustainable, effective crisis response programs. Her experience leading nationally recognized programs and collaborating across healthcare, behavioral health, and public safety systems will be an incredible asset to Portland Street Response and the communities it serves."

The City also extends its sincere appreciation to April Roa, who came forward to serve as Interim Program Manager during an important period of transition for Portland Street Response. Roa embraced the challenge and guided the program through significant organizational change while bringing stability, strengthening internal operations, and establishing foundational systems that position Portland Street Response for continued success.

"April's leadership has been instrumental during a pivotal time for the program," Howard said. "She has steadfastly built infrastructure, capacity, and organizational footing that will support Portland Street Response well into the future. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and service."

Following this leadership transition, Roa will step into a role reporting to the Director of Community Safety, where she will help build systems and policy initiatives supporting the operations of all Community Safety Division's programs, including Portland Street Response, the Office of Violence Prevention, and Ceasefire. Her strategic expertise and breadth of institutional knowledge will continue to play a critical role in strengthening and advancing Portland's community safety systems on a larger scale.

Portland Street Response provides compassionate, trauma-informed responses to non-emergency behavioral health, welfare check, and low-acuity medical calls, helping connect community members with appropriate services while preserving emergency resources for higher-priority incidents. Under Morgan's leadership, the program will continue its commitment to person-centered care while strengthening partnerships and advancing Portland's innovative approach to community safety.