 Board Candidate: Jessica Emerson
I moved to Seattle by way of Wisconsin seven years ago. I quickly fell in love with the landscape and culture of the Pacific Northwest. I have always spent time outdoors, and nine times out of ten I spend my weekends hiking and bicycling. (Girls got to do laundry sometimes!)
I work with King County Parks which operates 200 parks and 175 miles of regional trails including Burke Gilman Trail, Sammamish River Trail and other regional bicycling treasures. I am on point to help Parks be an entrepreneurial, performance-driven governmental organization. This allows parks to generate non-tax revenue and ensure green space remains open, even during tight fiscal times. I serve on the Parks management team with operating revenue of more than $20 million. I directly oversee Parks business revenue target encompassing 25% of overall operating revenues. Blending my passion for the outdoors with my professional life is something I am very proud of and couldn’t imagine it any other way.
I am an avid cyclist, a budding bike commuter and a new mom. I am excited to share with my son Oscar the bliss and freedom that riding brings. I worry about the future he will inherit. I have real concerns about clean air, clean water and our urban quality of life. I imagine a world where my son grows up having unlimited access to the adventures and joys of bicycling, where people are richer, happier and breathing fresher air because more people choose their bikes over their cars. Being a board member for Cascade will allow me to help build on this vision for our region.
An effective board will take on many responsibilities including strategic planning, developing the annual budget, being an advocate for the organization, recruiting new board members and ensuring that we are staying mission focused. I see the board’s foremost responsibility to secure robust resources for Cascade Bicycle Club to grow programs, events and advocacy.
I have more than 13 years of non-profit leadership, business development and fundraising experience with proven results. Over the course of my nonprofit career I have successfully raised more than $20 million for causes I care about including education, labor unions, health care and parks. I first got involved with Cascade Bicycle Club two years ago as a fundraising consultant. I worked with Cascade’s executive leadership to build a plan to grow Cascade’s major gifts program. As a board member I hope to continue this work to help Cascade to become a more financially sustainable organization.
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