Who We Are

Waterfront Park is the joint effort of the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects, Friends of Waterfront Seattle, and Seattle Parks and Recreation. Friends of Waterfront Seattle is the nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle responsible for helping to fund, build, steward, and program the park — today and into the future.

Dedicated to a renewed place to connect — to the water, to the mountains, to our city, and to one another.

In deep collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutional partners, Friends of Waterfront Seattle’s mission is creating, caring for, and activating a renewed place of connection on Seattle’s central shoreline. As the non-profit partner, Friends is continuing to raise $200M to support programming, construction, public safety and maintenance at Waterfront Park. Friends will is responsible to fund, program, steward and activate the park now and in perpetuity.

Park construction began following the Viaduct’s removal and the first piece of the park — Pier 62 — is now open.

 

The vision for Waterfront Park was conceived through a community‑wide effort.

Friends is a founding member of the High Line Network, a movement in cities across the world to reclaim underutilized infrastructure and re-imagine it as public space.

 

A core promise of Friends of Waterfront Seattle is to activate and program Waterfront Park; to make this new public space meaningful to the community that lives here. The city opened Pier 62 in September 2020, and Friends has been piloting programs ever since, bringing arts and culture, education, and recreation to the waterfront.

Board

Mary Bass

Wells Fargo

Carol Binder

Community Volunteer

Tom Byers

Cedar River Group

Chris DeVore

Founders’ Co-op

Leonard Forsman

The Suquamish Tribe

Olive Goh

Citi Private Bank

Paul Goodrich

Madrona Venture Group

Patrick Gordon

ZGF Architects LLP

Sandra Jackson-Dumont

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Falona Joy

SNP Strategies, Inc.

Martha Kongsgaard

Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation

Dan Kully

Kully Struble

Carla Lewis

Community Volunteer

Lori Metcalf

Seattle Academy

John Nesholm

LMN Architects

Jeannie Nordstrom

Civic Leader and Philanthropist

Stuart Rolfe

Wright Hotels, Inc.

Charley Royer (emeritus)

Former Seattle Mayor

Kayley Runstad Swan

Runstad Foundation

Ryan Smith

Martin Smith, Inc.

Louie Ungaro

The Muckleshoot Tribe

Maggie Walker

The Walker Family Foundation

Brady Piñero Walkinshaw

Grist

Charles Wright

Merrill Gardens, LLC

Julie K. Stein

Burke Museum, University of Washington

Hewan Teshome

Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle Kraken

Leadership

Priyanka Anand

Philanthropy Coordinator

Tom Beck

Data Systems Analyst

Blake Bowers

People & Culture Manager

Brianna Browne

Public Programs Manager

Lilia Deering

Assistant Production Manager

Richelle Dickerson

Executive Assistant

Angela Escudero

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Kelli Faryar

Public Programs Manager

Alex Harding

Assistant Production Manager

Laura Hendrichsen

Facilities On-Site Operations Supervisor

Yoon Kang-O'Higgins

Director of Public Programs

Marie Kidhe

Director of Community Relations & Strategic Investments

Oona Kilcommons

Seasonal Park Operations Assistant

Kjerstin Laine

Membership Manager

Maria Lopez

Public Safety Manager

Jessica Lotz

Community & Outreach Coordinator

Jason Merges

Communications Content Manager

Mark Meuter

Production Manager

Jamala Myres

Facilities On-Site Operations Manager

Anna O'Donnell

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Kelsey Oliver-Connelly

Office & Administrative Assistant

Nico Onoda-McGuire

Community Impact Manager

Cody Purchase

Event & Facility Operations Assistant

Jordan Remington

Public Programs Manager and Curator of Indigenous Programs

Maria Reyna

Assistant Director of Programs

Heather Ryan

Vending & Concessions Lead

Britt Rynearson

Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications

Joy Shigaki

President & CEO

Joey Smith

Assistant Director of Philanthropy

Michael Snuttjer

Facilities On-Site Operations Supervisor

Amanda Streams

Director of Operations & Park Experience

Eldon Tam

Chief Operating Officer

Chelsea Wong

Community Engagement Administrator

Yiling Wong

Park Marketing Manager

Pulling Together Committee

John Bailey (Muckleshoot)

Member

Sean Daniels (Muckleshoot)

Member

Jolene Haas (Duwamish)

Member

Cleora Hill-Scott (Crow, Sioux, & Pawnee)

Potlatch Fund Representative

Lynett Jordan (Lakota & Ojibwe)

Member

Jessica Juarez-Wagner

Potlatch Fund Representative

Ellany Kayce (Tlingit)

Member

Tim Lehman (Arapaho)

Member

Crystal Purcell

Member

Jordan Remington (Quileute)

Facilitator

Robin Sigo (Suquamish)

Member

Brian Tanner (Salish & Cree)

Potlatch Fund Representative

Community Connections Committee

Tom Byers

Member

Velma Chaney

Member

Timothy Corey

Facilitator

Sarneshea Evans

Facilitator

Olive Goh

Member

Joseph Guanlao

Member

Aleksa Manila

Member

Taelore Rhoden

Member

Omari Salisbury

Member

José Vázquez

Member

Tracey Wong

Member

Work With Us

Seasonal Park Operations Assistants provide onsite support and stewardship at the Waterfront Park. They act as public-facing ambassadors and work to ensure that the park is safe, welcoming, inclusive, and clean. This role supports all day-to-day Waterfront Park operations. During the summer months, there are several events per week that accommodate thousands of visitors. This means that time management and work efficiency are a must for this role.

The Park Events Assistant role is a seasonal, part-time role (April 2023 through October 2023) with flexible hours. This role will support the Public Programs and Production team, reporting to the Assistant Director of Public Programs. This position will focus on providing onsite administrative, logistical, and programmatic support.

The Production Assistant supports the onsite operational functions of the Public Programs team, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing department processes, onsite tasks, and communication. This role provides logistical support for all internal and external events with various complexities.

Waterfront Park is seeking a skilled and experienced Sound Engineer to join our team for the 2023 season (May-September). The Sound Engineer will be responsible for the setup, operation, and live sound mix for various events held at the park. This includes concerts, festivals, classes, and other public gatherings.

Would you like to sell your products and / or services at Waterfront Park?

Resources

Download more information on the design, history, and community partners behind Waterfront Park.

Press & Media

2023年Waterfront Park音樂、藝術和社區活動日曆

Seattle Chinese Times
May 17, 2023

Learn More

FRIENDS OF WATERFRONT SEATTLE ANNOUNCES 2023 CALENDAR OF MUSIC, ARTS, & COMMUNITY EVENTS AT WATERFRONT PARK

Converge Media
May 16, 2023

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New street signs honor first name of Seattle’s waterfront: Dzidzilalich

Seattle Times
April 24, 2023

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Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Nurtures Neighborhood Recovery with $1.1M Activation Fund
Art Beat Blog — April 4, 2023

Seattle Center Expands Role to include Managing Waterfront Park Operations in Partnership with Friends of Waterfront Seattle
Center Spotlight — January 24, 2023

Waterfront Seattle to Kick Off 2023 Events with Lunar New Year
The Urbanist — January 12, 2023

Transformative waterfront park to be completed in 2025
NW Asian Weekly — November 23, 2022

Revitalization of Seattle waterfront takes shape after more than a decade of construction
Puget Sound Business Journal — November 7, 2022

Shigaki is Friends of Waterfront Seattle’s new CEO
NW Asian Weekly — September 16, 2022

Seattle’s Waterfront is transforming and UW’s tentacles are all over it
UW Magazine — September 1, 2022

How Seattle’s new waterfront could boost a battered downtown and impact tech companies
GeekWire — April 14, 2022

Seattle Waterfront: What’s new and what’s planned for family fun
Seattle's Child — March 31, 2022

A day out on the Seattle waterfront with kids
Seattle's Child — March 31, 2022

In Waterfront Park, the seeds of a better Seattle
The Seattle Times — March 18, 2022

Amazon pledges $5M to help support ongoing construction of Seattle’s new Waterfront Park
Seattle Pi — December 9, 2021

‘Reflections’ Dance Festival: A Gift of Indigenous and African American Solidarity
South Seattle Emerald — November 3, 2021

Maggie Walker anticipates the construction of Seattle’s Waterfront Park
Puget Sound Business Journal — September 10, 2021

Pier 62 Shows Seattle in Its Best Light
Seattle Met — March 2, 2021

Seattle’s newest waterfront public space has finally opened
Seattle Urbanized — September 21, 2020

The Future Of Art Is Collaboration: A Conversation With Takiyah Ward
South Seattle Emerald — August 16, 2020

Salmon swim past downtown along new ‘highway’ for fish
Seattle Times — June 4, 2019

New study: Waterfront park is Seattle’s new weapon to retain tech talent
Puget Sound Business Journal — March 11, 2019

A Bold New Waterfront Is Coming to Seattle Soon
Seattle Magazine — March 1, 2019

Waterfront Park fits how Seattle lives, works
Daily Journal of Commerce — February 28, 2019

Friends of Waterfront Seattle Incubates Small Business to Promote Equity February 2019
Puget Sound Business Journal — February 20, 2019

Opinion: Shared investments show Seattle at its best
Puget Sound Business Journal — February 20, 2019

Will we really have a ‘Waterfront for All’?
Daily Journal of Commerce — December 5, 2018

For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

With support from our sponsors:

What do you want to see, eat, and do on the waterfront?

Want to plan an event? Have an idea for an activity? We want to hear from you! Waterfront Park is committed to serving the needs of its diverse communities through cultural, educational, and recreational activities in a beautiful, welcoming environment.