Park Board

Mike Holland was excited to begin his role on the Parks Board starting in April 2019.  He retired in 2017 from an information technology leadership role within our local King County government and hopes to use some of those skills as a member of the Parks Board.  Mike and his family have resided in our great city for about 39 years.  Both his son and daughter graduated from the UW and still live in the Seattle area.  In his spare time, Mike is an outdoor enthusiast who is an avid hiker and road biker.  Crestwoods Park is his favorite park and he takes his three-year-old granddaughter there three times a week (weather dependent).  The park has a wonderful playground, lots of open green space for kids to play, plus acres of wooded trails to enjoy!

Amy Ambrosini moved to Kirkland in 2019. With a background in engineering and business, Amy currently works in biotech manufacturing. Her favorite park is her family's currently most frequented park, Phyllis A. Needy Houghton Neighborhood Park. Amy is thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to Kirkland by serving on the Park Board. 

Juliana Born has been a resident of Kirkland since moving back to the Pacific Northwest in 2021. She loves the variety that Kirkland parks have to offer, but she spends most of her time at Juanita Beach and North Kirkland Community Center Parks playing with her two boys. She has spent her career in education. First as a Elementary teacher and then in various roles for an educational supply company. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and volunteering for her sons' various sports leagues.

Tammy Cohen moved to Kirkland WA from western New York at the end of 2017, trading harsh winters for the milder, always green Pacific Northwest. She and her husband chose the Norkirk neighborhood to be near downtown and close to the lake; and to have easy access to all the amenities that Kirkland offers. They also calculated that the walkability would be a great draw for their five adult children to come and visit, and they haven’t been disappointed!

Tammy is a health and human services senior fundraising executive of more than 25 years. Most recently she retired from the Stroum Jewish Community Center of Greater Seattle as senior director of advancement to focus on the needs of her aging parents and the joys of travel. She believes her roles in philanthropy and management make her a strong advocate for Kirkland residents as she serves on the Park Board.

Tammy enjoys volunteering to decorate downtown for the July 4th Parade and volunteers at Summerfest and other outdoor festivals. She enjoys walking and biking along the Cross Kirkland Corridor, swimming laps in the outdoor pool, and boating on Lake Washington. Tammy and her husband Barry are expecting their first grandchild and they look forward to exploring each and every playground in Kirkland when the time comes. Tammy’s favorite park is Heritage Park.

Kathy Kearny has raised her family on Finn Hill for 27 years, with the last nine on the Juanita side of the hill. When her daughters were younger, she spent countless hours at the old train-themed playground of North Kirkland Community Center Park. Now that her kids have grown, her favorite park is Juanita Bay Park with its boardwalks and abundant wildlife. Kathy comes from a finance background and in addition to the Park Board, serves on the boards of two local nonprofit organizations that focus on children and families.

Jared Silvia has been a resident of the Finn Hill neighborhood for five years. He, his wife, and his eight-year-old daughter enjoy several of the waterfront parks in Kirkland, especially OO Denny, Juanita Beach, and Juanita Bay. He is passionate about making sure our parks can serve the growing population and serve as a focal point for community building. Jared has spent his career in various roles in the energy and cleantech sectors, most recently as a founder of a solar energy startup. He has served on the board of the Cleantech Alliance, is a volunteer mentor for the University of Washington Foster School and CoMotion, is an active board member for the Juanita Elementary PTA, and volunteers as a youth sports coach when he can.

Crystal Thimsen has lived in Kirkland for twelve years. Professionally she has worked in the environmental industry for many years and started a position with Seattle Parks and Recreation as an Environmental Analyst in 2020. When asked to pick her favorite Kirkland park she had many including 132nd Square Park, Marsh Park, Terrace Park and enjoys taking walks through Edith Moulton Park.