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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Jackie Ramels, Chair
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 is the 2009 Chair. She represents the Board on the Seattle Art Museum Board.

Neal Adams, Vice-Chair
Primary Interests: Park sustainability, equal access to park resources, and community involvement and participation
City Council Appointment: June 2007
Term Expires: December 2010

Neal Adams earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1964 from the University of Arkansas, and a Masters Degree of Public Administration from Seattle University in 1991. He retired from the U.S. Public Health Service in 2001 after serving for 27 years in various management and program positions. Since 1998 he has been the sole proprietor of Global Consulting, an organization development firm that assists nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies to improve their operations. A 1987 Leadership Tomorrow graduate, he has held a number of positions including: Vice-President of the Board of Directors of A Territory Resource Foundation; Chair of the Board of Directors of the King County Association for Sickle Cell Disease; Member of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing, Power of Hope and the Grassroots Foundation; and a Member of the Mayor's Council on African American Elders.

Commissioner Adams represents the Board on the Parks Associated Recreation Council.

John Barber
Primary Interests: Community, health, and nature/environment
City Council Appointment: May 2007
Term Expires: December 2009

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 represented the Board on the Citizen's Oversight Committee for the West Point Settlement Funds.

Terry Holme
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.

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.