As she prepares to enter retirement following decades of work that have left an everlasting footprint in the local community and area, Teresa Briggs received quite the sendoff from her friends, colleagues, and family Monday evening.
Many individuals gathered inside Casa Ramos to wish Briggs well in her retirement during a surprise party that left Briggs grateful and tearful. Briggs and her family came to Emporia back in 1990. She wasted no time in getting to work to support her community, joining and later becoming the executive director of Emporians for Drug Awareness before moving on to the Regional Prevention Center in the early 2000s. She remained with the organization until 2014, when she founded Healthier Lyon County, where she currently serves as the grant facilitator.
Briggs says her work in the community began with a simple question:
"I had a third and seventh grader, and I wanted to find out how I could protect them from starting to use drugs or alcohol. So, I joined Emporians For Drug Awareness and became their first executive director. We got the first Drug Free Communities Grant for 5 years, and it really took off from there".
After founding Healthier Lyon County, Briggs hired the now United Way Director Daphne Mertens to oversee the organization. Briggs says, aside from marrying her husband, choosing Mertens was the best decision she has ever made.
"She's just remarkable. I just love the journey we've had together and the fact that when she went to United Way, she pulled Healthier Lyon County underneath as a program of United Way, and I was able to continue to work with her".
Mertens shared Briggs’ sentiment, saying she has been a true mentor and inspiration for her.
"One hundred percent, I would not be where I am at without Teresa. You know, Teresa really taught me everything I know. She hired me for Healthier Lyon County. She started Healthier Lyon County; it was her brainchild. She is very passionate about prevention. I started out with 10 hours a week learning from Teresa, and we have grown from there, and we have grown an amazing organization. Healthier Lyon County, now under United Way of the Flint Hills, and all of that is credited to Teresa and her starting up the coalition, writing the grants, and being very passionate about our community and prevention".
Mertens added that while Briggs is best known for her work with Healthier Lyon County, she has truly made an impact on countless organizations across the local community.
"Our Food and Farm Council, our Farmers' Market, our League of Women Voters. She has been involved in everything. We have all succeeded because of her leadership, mentorship, and what she has taught us and supported us. I think we will be able to go on working and doing a lot of good, like Teresa has, because she has really instilled those values in us and helped lead the way. She was a pioneer, you know. Local and Emporia for Prevention. She's a pioneer who doesn't mind what other people say about her. She is going to do the best for our community, no matter what.
When asked if she could sum up her career in a single word, Briggs paused, gave it some thought, and stated:
"Successful. I feel like we've done a great job of addressing alcohol use and tobacco use to make it safer and better for the community. And that was the goal. It was never to make people feel like things were being taken away from them, we were trying to look out for their health".
Briggs’ final day is June 30.
By: Tagan Trahoon
Posted: June 24, 2025 / 12:10 PM CDT