Image by Rhoades Clark courtesy of DSA.
Who We Are
Waterfront Park is the joint effort of the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront, Friends of Waterfront Seattle, and Seattle Parks & Recreation. Friends of Waterfront Seattle is the City of Seattle’s nonprofit partner helping to build, fund, program, and manage Waterfront Park and ensure its lasting success.
Friends of Waterfront Seattle is dedicated to creating and sustaining a Waterfront Park for all.
Following the public-benefit partnership model, Friends of Waterfront Seattle educates the public about the park and its benefits, raises philanthropic funds to build and support operations of the park, and partners with the City to manage and program the park in perpetuity.
Our goal is to realize the public’s vision for a waterfront park where all communities can share cultural, recreational, and civic experiences in a safe, beautiful environment.
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.
Image by Robert Wade
The vision for Waterfront Park was conceived through a community‑wide effort.
The design of Waterfront Park was created with community input and collaboration at its core. Programming the park is made possible through consistent collaboration with community partners, and we invite you to get involved. Interested in partnering with Friends?
Board
Mary Bass
Wells Fargo
Carol Binder
Community Volunteer
Tom Byers
Cedar River Group
Chris DeVore
Founders’ Co-op
Gene Duvernoy
Forterra
Stephanie Ellis-Smith
Phila Engaged Giving
Leonard Forsman
The Suquamish Tribe
Olive Goh
Citi Private Bank
Paul Goodrich
Madrona Venture Group
Patrick Gordon
ZGF Architects LLP
Nicole Grant
MLK Labor
Leslie Hanauer
Nick and Leslie Hanauer Foundation
Sandra Jackson-Dumont
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Falona Joy
SNP Strategies, Inc.
Paul Keller
Mack Real Estate Development
Martha Kongsgaard
Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation
Dan Kully
Kully Struble
Carla Lewis
Community Volunteer
Kyle McCoy
Goldman Sachs
Lori Metcalf
Seattle Academy
John Nesholm
LMN Architects
Jeannie Nordstrom
Civic Leader and Philanthropist
Stuart Rolfe
Wright Hotels, Inc.
Charley Royer
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
Leadership
Jordan Remington
Community Engagement & Programs Coordinator
jordan@waterfrontparkseattle.org
206-866-6817 x104
Lizanne Wicklund
Senior Philanthropy Officer, Individual Giving
lizanne@waterfrontparkseattle.org
206-412-2144
Work With Us
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Would you like to sell your products and / or services at Waterfront Park?
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The Public Safety Manager is a key member of the operations team and works in collaboration with colleagues across the organization as well as with public, private, and nonprofit partners in community efforts around public safety. The Public Safety Manager will oversee the goal of fostering a healthy waterfront neighborhood through partnerships that include City law enforcement, private security, and social service outreach. Responsibilities will grow as the entire 20 acres of new public spaces open in 2024, welcoming more than eight million visitors.
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Working closely with the Executive Director, the Deputy Director will oversee all internal operations at Friends, providing strategic oversight, overseeing implementation of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and practices, and facilitating communication across the organization to further Friends’ growth, organizational effectiveness, and impact. The position requires a person who is highly collaborative and can function with a high level of autonomy to help lead, manage, and prioritize multiple time-sensitive projects.
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The Community Impact Manager supports the work of Friends of Waterfront Seattle by measuring and increasing the impacts and effectiveness of community engagement and outreach initiatives and projects. With a focus on community engagement, the Community Impact Manager will work collaboratively with staff, community-based organizations, community members and leaders, and local business owners to develop and or support programmatic initiatives while establishing evaluation tools that will support the development and execution of effective community engagement strategies, cultivate and maintain successful partnerships with a goal of aligning with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and collective goals.
Resources
Download more information on the design, history, and community partners behind Waterfront Park.
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- HR&A Value Study
- HR&A Value Study Summary
- Friends Activation Report 2019
- Friends Activation Report 2018
- Friends Activation Report 2017
- Friends Activation Report 2016
- Friends Annual Report 2020
- Friends Annual Report 2019
- Friends Annual Report 2018
- Friends Annual Report 2017
- Friends Annual Report 2016
- Friends Annual Report 2015
Press & Media
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
Friends of Waterfront Seattle Incubates Small Business to Promote Equity March 2019
Puget Sound Business Journal — March 14, 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
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].
Partners
Friends of Waterfront Seattle deeply values our partnerships with local nonprofits, foundations, government entities, corporations, and organizations that make our work possible.
Are you interested in joining our robust list of partners that program and steward Waterfront Park?
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.