Francesca Lyman is a journalist who has written about nature and cities for many years, now working on a book on urban restoration, "Twelve Gates to the City." For the last four years, she has written the regular "Your Environment" column for the Health section of MSNBC, reaching millions of online readers. She is the author of several books, including The Greenhouse Trap (Beacon Press, 1990) and Inside the Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest, (Workman Publishing Co., 1998). She recently wrote an article on the resurgence of interest and research in the healing powers of nature, "The Geography of Health", for Land and People, Trust for Public Land's magazine.
Click Here to read "The Geography of Health".

Ms. McInturff received a BA in sociology from Washington State University and a Masters in Public Administration degree from the University of Puget Sound. She has worked for many years to increase the visibility of aging as a public health priority. She was a visiting scholar at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998, and from 1994 to 2000, she was a clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington's School of Public Health and Community Medicine. She is currently on the Board of Trustees at the Harborview Medical Center.

Ms. McInturff brought her exceptional administrative skills and strong advocacy for seniors and public health issues to Seattle Parks and Recreation. As Deputy Superintendent, she helps manage one of the City of Seattle's largest departments. Seattle Parks and Recreation has an annual operating budget of $111 million; a staff of 1,000 that grows to 1,500 in the summer; 6,600 acres of park land-equaling 10 percent of the city's total acreage; 400 parks; and dozens of facilities. Ms. McInturff helps develop programs, manage department finances, and oversee policy development and community relations. She played a key role in the development of the $198.2 million Pro Parks Levy package that was approved by Seattle voters in 2000.