Land Acknowledgement

About Us

Explore Washington Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to connecting people with the culture, diversity, and wonder of nature in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon.

Our mission is to provide an accessible, inclusive, and cohesive experience for all who visit Portland’s destination park. We are guided by the following principles: 

• We are caretakers of the natural world.
• We eliminate barriers that exclude.
• We are stewards of exploration.
• We embody the nature of Portland.
• We are One Park – a community of destinations.

Washington Park is one of Oregon’s top tourist destinations. At 410 acres, it is home to the Hoyt Arboretum, Portland Japanese Garden, World Forestry Center, Oregon Zoo, and the International Rose Test Garden, as well as memorials, an archery range, playgrounds, tennis courts, and 15+ miles of trails.

We strive to improve Park access and the overall visitor experience. Our programs include a parkwide free shuttle system, traffic management and offsite parking services, visitor information services, as well as Park planning.

Explore Washington Park was established in 2013 and is primarily funded through Washington Park’s parking meter revenue in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation. 100% of parking proceeds support the Park.

Heather McCarey

Executive Director (she/her)

Heather is an expert in non-profit management, as well as transportation demand management.  She started as Explore Washington Park’s first Executive Director in 2013 and since then has grown the organization to provide transportation and visitor services to the over 3.5 million people who enjoy Washington Park each year. She received her Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Portland in 2008 to live the northwest dream.  She loves wandering the trails and soaking up the sun (when it’s out) with her partner, Jeff, and puppy, Cosmos.

Meghan McCloskey

Marketing Director (she/her)

Meghan is a lifelong Oregonian who began her marketing career at Nike, where she spent nearly a decade. In 2018, she left her job in response to a deep calling to give back to her community: she started a non-profit that provided kids in foster care with art-and-craft experiences designed to encourage self-expression, boost self-esteem, and create memorable moments of bonding. The idea of helping underserved populations gain equitable access to beautiful spaces like Washington Park is what drew her to this role. Outside of work, Meghan enjoys reading, hiking, and biking with her family.

Erin Bird

Project Coordinator (she/her)

Erin loves parks, the outdoors, and the natural world. She was born and raised in Oregon; growing up in Eastern Oregon and attending college in the Portland area. Erin studied archaeology and worked as a field archaeologist before turning her professional focus to visitor service programs within museums and park organizations. She enjoys spending time with animals, hiking, traveling, reading, watching movies, and exploring the great outdoors.

Elisa Holloway

Program Coordinator (she/her)

Hallie Killgore

Executive Assistant (she/her)

Hallie is a passionate environmentalist who grew up in the Portland area. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources from Oregon State University to pursue a future in the sustainability field within the Pacific Northwest. She was brought to Explore Washington Park through her love of nature and the opportunity to serve our local outdoor community. Hallie enjoys live music, camping, rafting, snowboarding, and spending time with her family and dog Ziggy.

Shane Bailey

Visitor Service Specialist (he/him)

Shane has over a decade of customer service experience working mostly in museums and parks. He grew up in Southern California, attended college in San Diego, and worked at Balboa Park for four years. Shane studied history and worked as a museum professional in Denver, Colorado before moving to the Pacific Northwest. He enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and spending time with his wife, Doriel, their dogs, Lily and Shiloh, and their cats, Ms. Frizzle and Moon.

Chirona Silverstein

Equity Outreach Specialist (they/them)

Chirona is a white Ashkenazi Jew who was born and raised in the managerial/upper class on Lenape land currently referred to as New York. After seven years working as an engineer, they shifted their career to diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI, spending four years managing global inclusion programs at Intel. Chirona is committed to the life-long work of dismantling white supremacy culture and collective liberation through education, spiritual practices, and wealth redistribution that is guided by people of the global majority and also works as a Life Transition Coach supporting LGBTQIA+ community and allies. They love spending time community building, singing, and communing with nature with their dog and loved ones.

Ryan Debban

Digital Marketing Specialist (he/him)

Ryan brings 5 years of digital marketing experience, specializing in social media management, paid digital ads, and traditional marketing strategies. Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Ryan graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing. Having visited Washington Park since childhood, Ryan has a deep personal connection to the park and is excited to be sharing all it has to offer with new and frequent visitors. Outside of his professional life, Ryan is a devoted music enthusiast, often listening to artists like Benny Sings, James Taylor, and Andre 3000.

BOARD

Explore Washington Park is governed by our 11-member board. The board is made up of Directors from all the organizations within the Park, as well as Portland Parks & Recreation, representatives from TriMet, surrounding neighborhoods, and at-large members. We deliver our services to Park guests on behalf of these organizations.

Please contact info@ExploreWashingtonPark.org for information about attending future board meetings.

View Board Meeting Agendas.

HISTORY OF THE PARK

Washington Park is one of the oldest parks in Portland. In 1871, the City purchased the original forty acres of land from Amos King, an early developer who bought over 500 acres of land west of the city, for $32,634. The City designated this land “City Park,” despite its relative distance from the central city at the time. The Park had few roads and was a wilderness area thick with brush, trees, and roaming cougars that discouraged access and daily use of the Park. With ample green space surrounding Portland, limited improvements to City Park were not made until the early 1880s.

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View of facilities in City Park (Washington Park), circa 1902 : A2004-002.93