About Friends of Waterfront Park | History, Mission & More

Visitors enjoying a Spotlight at Waterfront Park event on Pier 62. Photo by Jo Cosme.

Who We Are

Friends of Waterfront Park is a 501c3 not for profit responsible for fundraising, stewarding, and programming at Waterfront Park alongside our community – 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 Park’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 $170M to support programming, construction, public safety and maintenance at Waterfront Park.

The City of Seattle began construction of the park after the Viaduct’s removal in 2019. The first pieces of the park — Pier 62 and Pioneer Square Habitat Beach — are now open for the public to enjoy.

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

Friends is a 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 Park 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.

Read Our Gratitude Report Here Learn About Our Community Partnership Committees

Board

Carol Binder

Community Volunteer

Karla Brollier

Home Planet Fund & Ahtna Athabascan

Tom Byers

Cedar River Group

Chris DeVore

Founders’ Co-op

Leonard Forsman

The Suquamish Tribe

Kevin Geiger

Blue Wave

Olive Goh

J. P. Morgan Private Bank

Patrick Gordon

ZGF Architects LLP

Mike Halperin

Hg Catalyst Project

Martha Kongsgaard

Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation

Dan Kully

Kully Maeder Muir

Carla Lewis

Community Volunteer

Lori Metcalf

Seattle Academy

John Nesholm

LMN Architects

Jeannie Nordstrom

Community Volunteer

Michaela Raikes

Highline Public Schools

Stuart Rolfe

Wright Hotels, Inc.

Charley Royer (emeritus)

Former Seattle Mayor

Kayley Runstad Swan

Hamlin Robinson School

Ryan Smith

Martin Smith, Inc.

Saema Somalya

Remitly

Julie K. Stein

Burke Museum, University of Washington

Hewan Teshome

Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle Kraken

Maggie Walker

The Walker Family Foundation

Brady Piñero Walkinshaw

Earth Alliance

Charles Wright

Merrill Gardens, LLC

Leadership

Darin Averill

Park Experience Assistant

Gabrielle Baptista

Administrative Assistant, Park Experience

Brianna Browne

Programs Manager

Nicki DeLalla

Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Richelle Dickerson

Assistant Director of People & Culture

Antinee Phongvichit Eteaki

Event and Facility Operations Lead

Denise Evans

Assistant Director of Accounting and Finance

Kelli Faryar

Senior Programs Manager

Alex Harding

Production Manager

Frederick Hagreen

Executive Assistant

Laura Hendrichsen

Event Production and Site Manager

Michael Johnson

Director of Park Experience

Yoon Kang-O'Higgins

Senior Director of Community Impact and Programs

Oona Kilcommons

Park Experience Assistant

Kjerstin Laine

Senior Manager of Annual Giving

Maria Lopez

Public Safety Manager

Jessica Lotz

Community Impact and Programs Coordinator

Kylie Martinez

Events Sales Manager

Jason Merges

Senior Marketing and Content Manager

Mark Meuter

Senior Production Manager

Jamala Myres

Facilities On-Site Operations Manager

Anna O'Donnell

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Nico Onoda-McGuire

Senior Manager of Community Impact

Jordan Remington

Programs Manager and Curator of Indigenous Programs

Maria Reyna

Assistant Director of Community Impact and Programs

Elyse Rickard

Philanthropy Database Coordinator

Sequoia Selah

Administrative Assistant, Community Impact and Programs

Kaily Serralta

Editorial and Content Manager

Shiva Shafii

Director of Marketing and Communications

Joy Shigaki

President & CEO

Joey Smith

Assistant Director of Philanthropy

Eldon Tam

Chief Operating Officer

Jenny Yann

Associate Director of Data Systems

Pulling Together Committee

The Pulling Together Committee convenes members of our local Tribal leaders, community members, and Urban Natives from the greater Puget Sound region to support the goals and objectives of Friends of Waterfront Park through the inclusion of Indigenous voices, values, and interests by assessing Friends’ community engagement and partnerships efforts, public programs, events, and activities at Seattle’s Waterfront. Learn more.

Karama Blackhorn (Squaxin)

Member

Felicia Bryan (Chinook)

Member

Deborah Guerrero MSW (Tlingit, Filipino, Cowlitz, Snoqualmie, French Canadian First Nations, Irish, German)

Member

Carolyn Hartness (Eastern Band Cherokee/Norwegian)

Member

Karen Johnson (Squamish, Indopino)

Member

Jessica Juarez-Wagner

Potlatch Fund Representative

Ellany Kayce (Tlingit)

Member

Mercedes Luna (Tlingit/Japanese/Filipino)

Member

Megan McDermott (Little Shell Chippewa, Blackfeet, Cree)

Member

Jordan Remington (Quileute)

Facilitator

Tiarraray Square (St. Regis Mohawk Tribe)

Member

Edna Wyena (Yakima & Muckleshoot)

Member

Community Connections Committee

The Community Connections Committee convenes individuals from various communities throughout Seattle and the Puget Sound region, who are exclusively from marginalized groups and/or identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. C3 is also joined by two additional members of the Friends’ board to oversee and advance Friends’ inclusion and social equity efforts on the Board of Directors level. Learn more.

Rosendo Ayala

Member

Tareq Fayyad

Member

Priya Frank

Member

Ashraf Hasham

Member

Margo Jones

Member

David Kim

Member

Carolina Lope

Member

Brittney Nitta-Lee

Member

Eze Oluo

Member

Taelore Rhoden

Member

Sina Sam

Member

Melody Xie

Member

Work With Us

See our listings below for open employment opportunities.

The Seasonal Park Experience Ambassador is an hourly non-exempt, seasonal contract position with a projected average of 35-40 hours per week; starting early to mid-May through September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.

This role supports the organizational and onsite operational functions of the Park Experience team, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing department processes, onsite tasks, and communication. This role also provides logistical support for all internal and external events with a variety of complexities.

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This role supports Friends by leading fundraising events for the organization and overseeing operations for the philanthropy team. As project manager for fundraising events, the Philanthropy Events & Operations Manager is responsible for the planning and execution of cultivation, stewardship and solicitation events to engage supporters of Friends. On the operational side, the Manager provides support and high-level project management for key philanthropy initiatives, working with the Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) to ensure the team has clear goals, roles and responsibilities for all major projects tied to team goals, as defined in the philanthropy annual work plan.

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The People & Culture and Office Assistant is an 18-month term-limited full-time position, expected to last through October 2026, with the possibility of extension based on business needs. Reporting to the Associate Director of People & Culture (ADPC), this role combines support for People & Culture maintaining employee records, supporting recruitment efforts, assisting with the onboarding process of new hires with providing cross-departmental administrative support in the organization and coordination of logistics within our office space on the Seattle Waterfront. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, possess excellent communication skills, and be proactive and adept at multitasking in a fast-paced work environment.

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The Production Onsite Lead is a seasonal, temporary, part-time, non-exempt role, starting early to mid-May through September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on business needs. Reporting to the Senior Production Manager, this position supports the organizational and onsite production functions of the Community Impact & Programs (CIP) team. This role supports the department’s activations, installations, and events, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing department processes, onsite tasks, and communication. This role also provides logistical support and event execution for all internal and community program partner events with various complexities.

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Want to bring an event to Waterfront Park? Follow the link below for more information about our rental program.

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