Jenny Mercado

Jenny Mercado is a bilingual community leader, healthcare professional, nonprofit founder, and Providence School Board Member dedicated to advancing opportunity, equity, and access for immigrant and underserved families. A proud Latina, mother, and advocate, her life and leadership have been shaped by her own experiences as an immigrant navigating a new country, learning a new language, and overcoming barriers to opportunity.

Born in Nicaragua, Jenny immigrated to the United States in 2002, first settling in Queens, New York, before making Providence, Rhode Island her home in 2004. As a newcomer student, she experienced firsthand the challenges of learning English, adapting to a new culture, and navigating an unfamiliar education system. Those experiences inspired her lifelong commitment to helping families access the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.

Jenny graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 2006. Like many young people in Providence, she began working at an early age, holding her first job at JCPenney when the Providence location opened. She later attended Alpine Nursing Home, earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license, and began a career devoted to caring for others.

Today, Jenny serves as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where she works in the Pediatric Emergency Department supporting children and families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives. With more than 15 years of healthcare experience, she has dedicated her career to providing compassionate care, advocacy, and support to patients and their families.

Driven by her passion for community service, Jenny founded Hermandad por Nicaragua, a nonprofit organization that connects Nicaraguan families in the United States to housing, education, employment opportunities, and essential community resources. Through her leadership, the organization has helped families build stability, access critical services, and create new opportunities for future generations.

Jenny is also a co-facilitator of Nuevas Voces through the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, where she helps develop community leaders, strengthen civic engagement, and connect residents to leadership opportunities and resources. She believes that when residents are empowered with information, tools, and support, entire communities become stronger.

Committed to improving access to information and services, Jenny is the co-creator of VECINA, an innovative bilingual platform designed to help families navigate school systems and connect with educational, healthcare, and community resources. She was invited to collaborate with the IMSI Institute in Chicago on the development of the VECINA app and played a key role in creating its education, health, and resource-mapping components to better serve Providence families, particularly in Olneyville.

Jenny is also a co-founder of the first Resilience Hub in the City of Providence—the Olneyville Resilience Hub—developed in partnership with the Providence Sustainability Office, Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC), and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA). Through this initiative, she has helped expand access to emergency preparedness resources, strengthen neighborhood resilience, and support resident-led community solutions.

As a mayor-appointed member of the Providence School Board, Jenny advocates for equitable educational opportunities, strong family engagement, improved access for multilingual learners, and responsible stewardship of public resources. She is committed to ensuring that every child—regardless of background, language, or circumstance—has the opportunity to succeed.

Jenny is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island's Class of 2024 and the Latina Leadership Institute's Class of 2025. Her leadership and community impact have also been recognized through opportunities such as participation in the Inclusive SciComm Symposium at the University of Rhode Island.

A proud Catholic and member of Assumption Church in Providence, Jenny is most proud of being the mother of twin daughters who attend Classical High School. Motherhood has strengthened her commitment to building a community where every child has access to opportunity, every family feels supported, and every resident has a voice.

Throughout her life, Jenny Mercado has combined service, compassion, and advocacy to improve the lives of others. Whether supporting families in a hospital emergency room, strengthening public education, helping residents access critical resources, or building community-led solutions, she remains dedicated to ensuring that every family has the opportunity to thrive and that every voice is heard.