Making the Eastrail for everyone, every day.
Eastrail Partners galvanizes the Eastrail effort by:
Advocating for trail funding
Mobilizing private sector engagement
Collaborating with communities
We convene and catalyze advocacy and community engagement for the trail, and establish community awareness to build diverse support.
The Eastrail must be safe and accessible, especially for individuals and communities who might not traditionally feel comfortable in this space. We are committed to an inclusive Eastrail that is welcoming to all.
Leadership
The Eastrail Partners Board of Directors represent passion for how the Eastrail will transform our region, and expertise in advocacy, land use, community, development, and communications on Lake Washington’s Eastside.
Taldi Harrison, Board President // Director, Community and Government Affairs, REI Co-op
Sara Lazkani, Board Vice President // Community Engagement Manager, Facebook
John Marchione, Board Treasurer // Exec. Dir. WA State Public Stadium Authority
Nate Caminos, Board Secretary // Director Office of Government Relations, Port of Seattle
Edna Shim, Immediate Past President // Senior Director Regional Gov't Affairs & Community Relations, Seattle Children's
Matt Cohen, Director // Partner, Stoel Rives
Jared Axelrod, Director // Senior Manager of Public Policy, Amazon
Michael Christ, Director // CEO, SECO Development
Gene Duvernoy, Director // CEO Emeritus, Forterra
Bill Finkbeiner, Director // Community Leader & Business Owner
Stacy Graven, Director // Community Leader
Greg Johnson, Director // CEO, Wright Runstad & Co
Steve Kramer, Director // Principal, KG Investment Properties
Stephanie Lizza, Director // Director of Community Engagement & Legislative Affairs, Evergreen Health
Joan McBride, Director // Community Leader
Dave Tomson, Director // Development Manager, SRM Development
Sung Yang, Director // Principal, Pacific Public Affairs
Many of our inaugural board members have been involved in this effort for years, serving on the Eastrail Funding Commission.
Katherine Hollis, Executive Director
Responsible for Eastrail Partners’ leadership, management, fundraising, and project recruitment, Katherine works closely with the board to accelerate the impact of our organization. Katherine considers herself one of the lucky ones – her parents had her adventuring in nature before she could walk. This connection to the outdoors continues inspire her focus on catalyzing authentic connections to create sustainable, impactful solutions for people and the natural world. Katherine comes to this role with two decades of nonprofit experience connecting people to place.
Colin Petkus, Community Collaborations Manager
Colin joined Eastrail Partners in July 2022 and works to connect individuals and communities with the Eastrail, while also bringing greater awareness to the trail through communications. Colin learned to ride his bike alongside the future Eastrail in Renton and is excited to support efforts to grow the regional trail network. He brings a passion for enhancing equitable access to the outdoors, while creating active transportation alternatives for all communities.