In order to better serve Forest Park and Marquam Nature Park and bring in new voices to guide our work, we have recently expanded the Forest Park Conservancy Board of Directors! These five new board members have been brought on to help supervise and guide FPC’s operations going forward. Five new board members means new perspectives, skillsets, and ideas will be added to our Board, allowing us to better improve our work in service of Forest Park, Marquam Nature Park, and our community.
With so many fresh new faces on our Board of Directors, we wanted to take the time to introduce them to our community. Join us as we welcome these new members to the Forest Park Conservancy team!
Carole Hardy • Portland State University
“Forest Park was my playground as I grew up in the hills of NW Portland. Here I learned respect for trees and all things that live in forests. My desire to conserve Oregon’s forest systems led me to earn a BS in Forest Management from OSU, and in 2020 to earn an MS in Environmental Science from PSU where I now teach forest ecology and policy classes. My master’s thesis was a study of Forest Park which focused on the challenges and opportunities to conserve and restore this beautiful and important natural area. Through my professional and volunteer work, I advocate for the restoration and conservation of urban ecosystems and am excited to contribute my skills and passion as a board member of the Forest Park Conservancy.”
Jared Ishkanian • Weinstein PR
Jared and his wife Molly are owners of Weinstein PR, a boutique communications agency based in Portland, OR. He has more than 20 years of strategic communications experience working for Regence BlueCross BlueShield, Oregon Environmental Council and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. Jared is a passionate skier, runner, mountain biker and camper who fell in love with Forest Park through the Portland Trail Series. His favorite stretch of the park is Wildwood between miles 19 and 11 starting at Springville and Trillium. When he’s not serving as family camp counselor for his two sons, Jared fills his time seeing live music (this spring will be his 16th New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival), cheering on the New England Patriots and Boston Celtics, and walking his labradoodle Booker in their southeast Division and Clinton neighborhood.
Taylor Farrell • Nike
Taylor grew up in Oregon and graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in Education and minors in Math & Business. While she is an Oregonian at heart, she has lived all over the world in Spain, Australia, and most recently the Netherlands. With 9+ years of marketing, digital, strategy, and operations experience at Nike, she is thrilled to formally join the FPC community. Taylor is passionate about protecting the future of Forest Park for all generations and supporting all types of recreation – running, hiking, walking, bird watching, and more.
Jared Rose • Green Savoree Racing Promotions
Raised in the Pacific Northwest, and having lived in Portland for the past 11 years, Jared brings a lifelong passion for the outdoors to the FPC Board of Directors. He also brings 25+ years of professional sports experience, building strategic partnerships across baseball, basketball, football and motorsports. An avid trail runner, Jared has spent countless hours and miles exploring every trail in Forest Park, including using a measuring wheel to get an updated measurement of the iconic Wildwood Trail. When not running in Forest Park, you can often find him with a rake or McLeod in-hand at volunteer work parties. Jared’s passion for Forest Park can be traced to the connections he’s gained in the park, both with nature and other humans.
Rica Wiebe • Cascadia Health
Rica grew up in Germany and she has enjoyed the outdoors from a young age. She studied finance at Portland State University after moving to Portland in 2007. Currently, she works as a Fiscal Program Analyst for Cascadia Health and is also on the Budget Committee for the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. She brings a passion for Forest Park to the board, as she spends much of her free time trail running, hiking, and biking the trails and fire lanes of Forest Park.