Board of Park Commissioners - Who We Are

The Board of Park Commissioners is a seven-member citizen advisory board, serving three-year terms. The composition of the Board is:

• Three members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council
• Three members appointed by City Council
• One member appointed by these six Board members

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Antoinette Angulo
Primary Interests: Youth development; Equitable access to physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices; Parks’ role in urban agriculture; and Protecting park spaces and programs
City Council Appointment:May 2009
Term Expires: December 2012

Antoinette Angulo is currently the Preventive Health Services Director at Sea Mar Community Health in Seattle, and serves as advisor to both Prometheus Public Health Consulting Group and Just Health Action! She received a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Washington and is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Tomorrow.

She has served as Chair of the Neighborhood Matching Fund’s Citywide Review Team, and on the Board of Directors of both the South Park Action Agenda and the Latino Community Fund of Washington State. She has been an advisor for special projects for the South Park Action Agenda Board of Directors, and has served on a number of additional boards and community groups. Commissioner Angulo was a member of the Peace Corps in Nicaragua from 1999-2001 with a focus on community health. Her work has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and she has made public health presentations across the United States and in Canada, Thailand, and Uruguay.

John Barber
Primary Interests: Community, health, and nature/environment
City Council Appointment: May 2007
Term Expires: December 2012

John Barber earned his Masters Degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago and completed one year in the Graduate Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Michigan. He retired from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he specialized in the development of public housing on Indian Reservations in the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest, and is a certified Public Housing Manager and professional Project Manager. On a citywide level, he is chair of two groups, Parks and Open Space Advocates (POSA) and Friends of Street Ends. He is a master gardener, native plant steward, and urban forest steward. He is currently chair of the Parks and Greenspace Committee of the Leschi Community Council, and has worked on a number of park projects in the Leschi neighborhood, including Leschi Natural Area, Frink, Flo Ware, and Powell Barnett Parks, and Lake Washington Boulevard. He walks his dogs daily in Leschi Park and gardens at the Colman Park P-Patch. In 2005, he received a Seattle Parks' Denny Award in recognition for his 30-year involvement in the stewardship and preservation of Seattle's parks and open space.

Commissioner Barber represents the Board on the Citizen's Oversight Committee for the West Point Settlement Funds.

Terry Holme, Chair
Primary Interests: Athletic field development, open space, and hiking and walking areas
City Council Appointment: May 2003
Term Expires: December 2011

Terry Holme is the owner of Holme Builders Inc., a Seattle residential restoration and remodeling business since 1978. In 1973, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He volunteered for three years coaching youth baseball and for eight years coaching youth soccer. He was elected president of the Mt. Baker/Lakewood Youth Soccer Club during his coaching years. He has served as a Seattle Youth Soccer Association Commissioner, and has been active in the Seattle Sports Advisory Council and the Seattle Parks' Sportsfield Review Committee. In the past, he also served as a licensed United States Soccer Federation referee, officiating youth matches.

Commissioner Holme represents the Board on the 2008 Levy Oversight Committee and the Seattle Parks Foundation Board.

Donna Kostka
Primary Interests: Seattle Parks' financial stability and public involvement practices; restoration of forested land under the citywide tree management plan, buffering for wildlife and residents from lighting and noise; youth involvement in park programs
Park Board Appointment: December 2007
Term Expires: December 2011

Donna Kostka received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, a Master of Science in Park and Recreation Administration, and a PhD in Outdoor Recreation and Ecology. She has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an outdoor recreation planner, for the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy as an environmental protection specialist, and for the National Park Service as an outdoor recreation planner and national coordinator for community trail technical assistance. Commissioner Kostka has participated in many sports and outdoor recreation activities, including tennis, back packing, biking, canoeing, camping, and cross country skiing. She is currently Co-Grants Coordinator for the Heron Habitat Helpers (which she co-founded in 2001) and on the board of Seattle Co-Arts. She is also a native plant steward, a photographer and artist, and does watercolors and drawings at many Seattle parks.

Commissioner Kostka is the first appointment to the Board by the other six Commissioners and was appointed to a four-year term. She represents the Board on the Park Naming Committee and the Central Waterfront Committee.

Diana Kincaid, Vice-chair
Primary Interests:Access for all to parks, environmental sustainability
Mayoral Appointment: May 2009
Term Expires: December 2012

Diana Kincaid is a lifelong resident of Seattle and a professional educator and business owner. She is an active community volunteer and served as president of Friends of Magnuson Park from 2003-2004, is a member of the Parks and Open Space Advocates (POSA), and served on the Open Space 2100 Project Guidance Committee.

In her professional career, Ms. Kincaid served on the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Board of Trustees and was Chair of the Best Practices Committee, served as National Chair of the American Massage Therapy Association’s Ethics and Standards Committee where she chaired numerous hearings and educational forums, and was a continuing education instructor from 1995 to 2010. She received a national award for her volunteer services.

Commissioner Kincaid has represented the Board on the Community Center Advisory Team and is the Board’s representative on the Magnuson Park Advisory Committee.

Jourdan Keith
Primary Interests: Youth, equity and access to programs and parks, habitat and cultural preservation, urban forestry, and waterfront and aquatic resources
Mayoral Appointment: May 2009
Term Expires: December 2013

Jourdan Keith is the founder and director of Urban Wilderness Project and has a strong interest and background in creating, planning, and organizing activities and wilderness trips for youth. She was previously the Environmental Restoration project lead for the University of Washington’s Restoration Ecology Network which restored habitat for Seattle Parks Department. She works with North Cascades National Park and the United States Forest Service leading trail-building projects. Ms. Keith is a Washington Native Plant Steward, Washington State University Beach Watcher, a naturalist, educator, environmental specialist, and a poet and published writer.

Jackie Ramels
Primary Interests: Community Centers, Environmental Learning Centers, facilities programs, public involvement, and equitable access to parks for all populations
Mayoral Appointment: April 2006
Term Expires: December 2011

Jackie Ramels is a private investor and business owner. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in editorial journalism from the University of Washington. She has been an active volunteer with Seattle Parks, serving as secretary, vice-president, and president of the Alki Community Center Advisory Council from 1993 to 2006, and as vice-president, and president of the Associated Recreation Council (ARC) from 1996 to 2006. In 1999 she was appointed by the mayor to the citizens' committee studying funding resources for parks, which led to the Pro Parks Levy, and was appointed to two terms on the Pro Parks Oversight Committee from 2000 to 2005. Commissioner Ramels' community commitments include membership on the Alki Community Council, where she is currently council president.

Commissioner Ramels has served as the Board's Vice-chair and Chair. She represents the Board on the Seattle Art Museum Board.