In 2020, PPF added four dynamic new board members. Here’s a look at who they are, what they hope to accomplish, and if they could actually be a park, which one would each choose to be.

Martina Bialek currently works at Latino Network, a Portland nonprofit serving the Latinx community in the region. She is the force behind all marketing and communications strategies to educate the public and raise awareness on the issues that affect the lives of Latinos in the region. Storytelling is Martina’s true passion, and as she says, “there is a great difference between a messenger and a storyteller.” When Martina isn’t drafting press releases and blog posts, she is spending time with her husband Richard, a native Oregonian, and her dogs Marley and Chicha.

Why this board?

Growing up in South America during a time of extreme economic instability, I seldom had opportunities to recreate in public spaces safely. Living in Portland taught me how Oregonians find pride and joy in their public spaces, recreate in them regularly and respect the connection between the city and the nature around it. I fell in love with the way people interact with parks and I wanted to have a more active role in reminding people why parks are awesome!

If you could be a Portland park, which one would you be and why?

My husband and I got engaged at the Rose garden, so if I had to choose a Portland park, it would be Washington Park. I have countless experiences there, be it my engagement or the many hikes with friends and my pets. It’s always an inviting place that offers stillness and quietness just minutes from Portland's hustle and bustle.

What do you hope to accomplish while serving?

I hope to be a bridge between PPF and other communities, bring neighbors together and share the beauty that Portland parks have to offer, not only to the people who have historically enjoyed them regularly, but also to those who are still trying to find their place within public spaces.

Maja Viklands Harris

Maja Viklands Harris is a writer, policy analyst and facilitator. A native Swede who immigrated to the United States in 2003, Maja is journalist by trade who nowadays spends most of her time in the political and philanthropic arenas. She is a director of the Hormel Harris Foundation, whose initiatives include support for affordable housing, criminal justice reform, food security, mental health and substance abuse treatment and services. She is also an active member of the philanthropic organization ninety-nine girlfriends in Portland and SW Washington. In her previous community of Lincoln, NE, Maja served as a planning commissioner and board chair of both the library and the zoo and has been involved in mayoral, city council, and state legislative races. Ongoing consulting and advisory engagements include initiatives to democratize the public input process and to draft and implement equitable, people-centered urban planning policy.

Why this board?

Few public investments can deliver as much bang for the buck as parks. The public health and environmental benefits of parks, along with parks’ contributions to livability, urban design and general quality of life, are hard to beat. Jane Jacobs, the mother of modern urban planning, said that people must take a modicum of public responsibility for each other even if they have no ties to each other. To me, parks are perfect examples of all of us taking that responsibility to care for each other and our shared environment, and then directly experiencing the positive results of that collective impact as we enjoy all that parks have to offer.

If you could be a Portland Park, which one would you be and why?

Right now I would choose Peninsula Park because it’s my children’s favorite, and I wish I could bottle up the joy that they experience there.

What do you hope to accomplish while serving?

Both maintaining and improving access to the parks system are priorities for me. As a parent of elementary school children I am very interested in the importance of play to children’s development, and parks have a huge role to play in offering those benefits to all children equally.

Subashini Ganesan is an artist, arts administrator, and the Creative Laureate of Portland. Ganesan choreographs and performs potent and universally relevant expressions drawn from her foundation in Bharatanatyam. Her original works have been presented by PICA, Conduit, Performance Works NW, Ten Tiny Dances, Portland Center Stage, Third Angle New Music, and Risk/Reward. In 2010, Ganesan founded New Expressive Works (N.E.W.), a vibrant performing arts venue in Portland that celebrates multicultural independent performing artists who teach, are in residency, and create bold new works. She serves on the Board of Directors for the James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation and the Portland Parks Foundation.

Why this board?

Parks fulfill a promise that public and nature-filled spaces are important for urban dwellers. Portland is blessed with everything from Forest Park, where we can almost forget that we live in a city, to Peninsula Park, which is a solid urban park that provides gathering spaces for families, swimming lessons for youth, and everything in between. I have joined this Board to increase park resources and access to parts of our city that have historically been under-served. Public spaces have always had and will continue to have a deeply significant role in how our pluralistic community builds relationships across cultures and socio-economic status. PPF has been steadily building pathways and leading the way in this role.

If you could be a Portland park, which one would you be and why?

Ahh so hard. Mount Tabor, I think. First Off, I can walk to it and the sunset views are magnificent. Secondly, how can I pass up being one of four extinct volcanoes within a City boundary? And, of course, let's not forget that every summer (not including 2020...) it becomes the hub for the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby!

What do you hope to accomplish while serving?

I am interested in how PPF continues building relationships that lead to trusting collaboration across multicultural communities in our city. We have built a great rapport with many organizations through our Small Grants Program. How can we now take the next step to build authentic, long-lasting relationships that honor our parks communities which are represented by humans from a diversity of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, disability status, and age? I am also really committed to continuing the work of conceptualizing and taking action on where park spaces are located, what amenities they provide, how arts & culture can thrive in these spaces, and how "safe" they feel for a diverse (as opposed to a homogenous) community.

Vicky Schwoeffermann, born and raised in Boston, MA, earned her BA in Criminal Justice and her Masters in Human Services from Northeastern University. She believes her purpose in life is to be a voice for the community and advocate for those who need critical support to overcome cultural, educational, and economic barriers. She brings over 15 years of experience in supporting leadership training programs, fundraising, management, events, and strategy. She currently supports several organizations including Harvard University, Oregon Food Bank, and HOLLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running and hiking with her husband, Tamu, her 7-year-old son, Kenzo, and her 5-year-old daughter, Simra.

Why this board?

The mission of Portland Parks Foundation—to strengthen communities and provide a sense of belonging for everyone in Portland—makes it crucial for me to be in this space at this time. I think our parks are uniquely divine—the green spaces here connect us all and are a crucial part of our city's identity.

Unfortunately, COVID has revealed additional inequities that exist with different populations, specifically African Americans and other people of color. What is unique about Portland Parks Foundation is that we are going about making parks better in an equitable way. We are trying to listen to the community and elicit voices about what things are missing in our parks. How can we make them better, how can we adapt and be agile given the times? How can we grow support for more parks in different areas?

What do you hope to accomplish while serving?

Growing up I used to spend most of my summer days in the parks of Boston swinging a tennis racket and running around the court. I used to play tennis in the park for probably about eight hours a day with friends and family. I was even afforded the opportunity to play tennis with Venus and Serena Williams through a sponsorship program called Tenacity Summer Tennis Reading Program. The community rallied around and brought their arms around the kids of the community. That is what I want to do for others because it was a place of so much joy for me. I want to provide this joy for the community.