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.

Mara Gross

Interim Executive Director (she/her)

Mara has worked for twenty years in organizational strategy and advocacy. A lawyer by training, Mara’s experience includes nonprofit management, issue advocacy, state and local policy, and communications. She focuses on building healthy systems and authentic relationships to strengthen mission-driven organizations and advance equity focused programs and policy. Outside of work, Mara enjoys riding her bike around town and recently started baking sourdough bread.

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.

Mike Murawski

Operations Director (he/him)

Mike has more than 20 years of experience working in museums and nonprofits, most recently co-founding a Portland-based business focused on environmental education and nature-based learning. He previously served as Director of Learning & Community Partnerships for the Portland Art Museum, and has focused much of his career on expanding ways to engage diverse communities and bring people together through collaboration and partnerships. Outside of work, Mike is an avid trail runner and lover of all things outdoors. You can often find him out enjoying the trails throughout Washington Park.

Caitlin Lodzinski

Administrative Manager (she/her)

Caitlin considers herself lucky to have lived her whole life in the beautiful pacific northwest, growing up in northern Washington before moving to Oregon to attend college and start her professional career. She has spent most of her career working as a recruiter in the accounting industry and is looking forward to bringing her passion for connecting people and building relationships to the EWP team. Caitlin loves the beauty and diversity of Washington Park and still can’t believe she gets to make this special place her “office.” Outside of work, Caitlin enjoys spending time with her family watching youth sports–(especially baseball and volleyball), paddle-boarding, watching movies, and reading.

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)

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.

Brendan Berry

Field Operations Specialist (he/him)

Originally hailing from the southern tier of NY (which happens to be the ancestral homeland of the Oneida and Onondaga nations; Haudenosaunee confederation), Brendan has spent the last decade crisscrossing the country working in various public facing capacities. From time as a Park Ranger working for the Bureau of Land Management, and the city of Portland, to operating a food truck in Massachusetts, he has enjoyed mixing it up with the people he has met and learning from all the various paths they are walking through life. Catch him in his spare time on his motorcycle in the woods, reading in a hammock by the water, or in the pit at a local show!

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