About Us
Bringing the mental health peer-led movement
to survivors of sexual violence.
SUNN was created by a group of former employees of RAINN who saw a better way forward for survivors of sexual violence — focused on healing rather than punishment, community rather than competition, restorative frameworks rather than carceral systems, and survivor-led solutions rather than capitalistic exploitation.
MISSION
SUNN aims to bring help and hope to survivors of sexual violence through the power of community, unifying leaders in the field towards a shared vision with shared resources, free support groups and a national peer-led helpline.
VISION
We envision a world free of both individual and systemic violence, where all people — of all identities, cultures and backgrounds — feel safe, respected and empowered to truly thrive.
VALUES
☀ Survivor-Centered & Peer-Led
There’s a saying that originated in the disability community which we think sums it up best: “Nothing about us without us.” In other words, the people most impacted by this work should have a seat at the table. And in fact, people with lived experience are experts in their own right most equipped to help others. We support the broader peer-led movement, which allows more people — especially from historically marginalized communities — to both provide and receive appropriate support.
☀ Culturally Humble
None of us can be experts in every culture, community and background. While we intentionally take proactive steps towards continual learning, we also acknowledge that the first step towards inclusion is asking people what makes them feel included, rather than assuming we know all the answers.
☀ Community Oriented
Relationships matter. We firmly believe that healing happens in community, and that it takes all of us working together to build a movement past a moment, towards the world free of violence we all want to see.
☀ Empathetic
People may forget what you said or did, but they will always remember how you made them feel. The power of empathy to positively impact people’s lives truly cannot be understated.
☀ Empowering
We believe all people have the capacity to heal, and everyone is their best expert in their own life and experiences. It’s not our job to save people or even have all the answers, but to facilitate environments and provide people with the resources they need and deserve to truly thrive.
☀ Hopeful
No matter how dark it gets, the sun will always shine again. We believe in validating people — because the world can indeed be very dark and difficult — but we also believe in the power of hope. We don’t always know when life will get better, but we certainly believe that it can; and that it’s worth it to stick around to find out.
Meet Our Founders
Ebonique Bethea, MSW
Ebonique is a licensed clinical social worker from Maryland, currently working full-time in sexual violence prevention and response for the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, DC. She formerly served as
RAINN’s clinical director, where she served as an external spokesperson about issues related to sexual violence as well as providing clinical supervision to training and programs like the National Sexual Assault Hotline, the DoD Safe Helpline, and more. Ebonique brings more than two decades of experience working in mental health, serving various vulnerable populations including children in foster care, individuals engaged in sex work, clients recovering from substance use issues, survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, military/veteran groups. A proud HBCU grad, Ebonique received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in social work from Howard University. She also holds memberships with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), and the National Association of Social Workers. She’s served on committees for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline as well as her local county government, and she is the proud mom of 4 strong, beautiful, intelligent and caring daughters. When Ebonique isn't working, she enjoys volunteering in her community, spending time with family, and brunching with friends.
April Cisneros, MA
A Los Angeles native, April is a creative professional who has worked for over a decade to advance social good through impactful storytelling. She currently works full-time as director of marketing and
communications for UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers, which focuses on bridging the gap between mental health research, youth and the entertainment industry. Prior to that, she worked in marketing and communications for NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), ACEs Aware (a first-in-the-nation initiative established by CA’s Surgeon General to address the impacts of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress), and a variety of other nonprofits (i.e. Raising the Future) and government agencies (USAID, DoD, etc.). April completed her Master’s degree in psychology through Harvard University, where she conducted her thesis about how trigger warnings on social media impact anxiety levels of BIPOC users. She holds a certificate in women’s leadership through Yale’s School of Management, as well as a bachelor of arts in creative writing and a bachelor of science in music. April has spent time studying and working in both Latin America and the UK, where she also had the opportunity to attend Oxford University as a visiting researcher studying aesthetics and the crusades. On the weekends, you can catch her writing songs, watching shows, and hanging with her feisty 8-pound chihuahua service pup Glory.
Our Consultants
Our Board
Sierra Scott
Board President
She/Her
Sierra is a survivor, writer, content creator, mom, and advocate. She works at Equal Justice USA, a national organization working at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, and racial justice. She previously served as an editor for the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims and as a senior strategist for RAINN. Her research in graduate school explored the healing effects of writing for survivors in the body, the mind, and the soul.
Alex Delgado
Board Secretary
He/Him
Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in New Jersey, Alex is a committed advocate who has spent years working with survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence to improve social services at the local, state, and national levels (particularly for historically marginalized groups like immigrants and LGBTQ+ communities). He holds a B.S. in neurobiology from Boston University and a Master's in Policy Management from Georgetown University.
Samantha Cadet
Vice President
A proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, Samantha holds degrees in criminal justice and international relations and affairs. She served as director of federal affairs, appropriations, and national coalitions at RAINN for more than two and a half years, as well as assistant
director of federal relations at the University of Georgia Office of Government Relations for more than five and a half years.
She/Her
Kay Ericson
Board Treasurer
They/Them
Kay Ericson is a fundraising professional with more than 15 years of work experience, currently serving as senior director of investor experience for Unite America, and previously as director of national corporate relations and development at the Anti-Defamation League for 8 years. They've held leadership positions at organizations like Femex, RAINN, WomenHeart, the LGBT Alliance and more. Kay holds an MPA in nonprofit organizational management.