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

Katherine Cheng

Leonard Forsman

The Suquamish Tribe

Kevin Geiger

Blue Wave

Olive Goh

J. P. Morgan Private Bank

Thomas Goldstein

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.

Ryan Smith

Martin Smith, Inc.

Julie K. Stein

Burke Museum, University of Washington

Kayley Runstad Swan

Hamlin Robinson School

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

Megan Castillo

People & Culture and Office Assistant

Natalie Chen

Philanthropy Events and Operations 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

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.

Darin Averill (Navajo Nation)

Member

Karama Blackhorn (Squaxin)

Member

Emma Charles (Cowichan, Klallam, Duwamish)

Member

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

Member

Carolyn Hartness (Eastern Band Cherokee/Norwegian)

Member

Kerri Hill

Member

Maloa Jenkins (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)

Member

Karen Johnson (Squamish, Indopino)

Member

Mercedes Luna (Tlingit/Japanese/Filipino)

Member

Sage Ke'alohilni Quiamno

Member

Jordan Remington (Quileute)

Facilitator

Jayden Robles (Chumash/Cahuilla/Ohlone)

Member

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.

Jaqueline Armstrong

Member

Rosendo Ayala

Member

Aleena Green

Member

Ashraf Hasham

Member

Margo Jones

Member

Carolina Lope

Member

Luis Lopez

Member

Brittney Nitta-Lee

Member

Eze Oluo

Member

Israr Rukun

Member

Sina Sam

Member

Melody Xie

Member

Accessibility Advisory Committee

This committee convenes people who identify as persons with disabilities, have a user’s perspective; have personal or professional experience with disability and advocacy; can speak broadly on disability issues opposed to only addressing personal needs; or who are knowledgeable about a variety of physical, communication, and program access issues (hearing, vision, mobility, speech, cognitive limitations, etc.). Learn more.

Ada Michele Alston

Member

Yuliya Bruk

Member

Gloria Hiten

Member

Katy Jach

Member

Gina Karaba

Member

Andrea Kovich

Member

Kate Palomino

Member

Elizabeth Ralston

Member

Kristina Sawyckyj

Member

Moira Tamayo

Member

Teresa Thuman

Member

Jacquelyn Van Patten

Member

Colin Yuen

Member

Work With Us

See our listings below for open employment opportunities.

Friends is looking for experienced event crew to support our Production department with activations and events at Waterfront Park. These positions will be temporary, part-time, non-exempt roles, starting in late May.

Reporting to the Senior Production Manager, these positions support the organizational and onsite production functions of the Community Impact & Programs (CIP) team. These roles support the department’s activations, installations, and events, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing production processes, onsite tasks, and communication. The Over-Hire Event Crew members provide logistical support and event execution for internal and community program partner events with various complexities. This is a high-volume environment where work productivity, efficiency, and effective communication skills are a must.

Learn More

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

Learn More