Forest Park Conservancy is excited to introduce you to our new Manager of Development Services, Abby Smith! Abby comes to us with years of experience working in non-profits and will be a vital part of our development team. Abby will be responsible for maintaining accurate donor records, creating acknowledgment letters, and making financial reports among other duties. We are thrilled to have Abby on the team and for you all to meet her!
What brought you to work here at the Forest Park Conservancy?
I have worked for non-profits for about 5 years in different kinds of roles, such as volunteer management and communications. When this opportunity opened up I knew I really wanted to work for an organization that supports a beautiful place in Portland, like Forest Park.
I love being outdoors, as well as the work that FPC does to support the natural environment and access for people all over Portland.
What will your work focus on while at the Forest Park Conservancy?
I’ll be behind the scenes on the development team managing the donor database and helping to make sure our data is in order.
Before working at the Forest Park Conservancy, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had?
One of the most interesting jobs I’ve had was as a grad student. I have a graduate degree in history and I interned for an Irish history website in Dublin, Ireland. So as part of this internship, I traveled all over Dublin recording lectures, writing articles and creating podcasts about history. I got to learn a lot about a lot of topics, see a lot of Dublin, and meet a lot of interesting people.
What is your favorite quote?
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton.
What is your personal favorite place in Forest Park? Is there a part of Forest Park that you have heard about that you want to visit?
Although I’ve hiked in different places in Forest Park, I still feel like there’s so much more to see. I can’t wait to talk to volunteers and staff about their favorite places and find all the hidden gems. I don’t have a favorite place yet but get back to me in a year!