Our Mission & Vision

The mission of the Petaluma River Park Foundation is to meet our vital need for shared space that connects people, art, and nature. When we succeed, the River Park will be a vibrant, welcoming place that fosters a love of nature, sparks creativity, and unifies our community for generations to come.

Connecting People, Art, and Nature

Our Story

The majority of the McNear Peninsula in Petaluma, CA sat unused for decades. In 1996, City leaders smartly identified the opportunity to reclaim the property as a community resource, rezoning the Peninsula as parkland, and creating a small city park at its entrance. However, it wasn’t until 2018 when the 24-acre property was up for sale, that a handful of local residents revitalized the dream and mobilized around the land’s vast potential. 

What happened next was kismet—with many forces coming together at the right place and the right time. Local residents David Duskin, Darling Gonzalez, Seair Lorentz, and Sean Paul Lorentz had been dreaming of creating a new place for art and community. Longtime Petaluma resident Carol McKegney had been searching for the perfect spot to display Huru, a monumental sculpture by artist Mark di Suvero that had been gifted to his lifelong friend and colleague, the late Lowell McKegney. Enamored with the raw potential of the McNear Peninsula, these early visionaries teamed up around their shared goal to acquire the property. In 2019, a new nonprofit was formed, the Petaluma River Park Foundation, which garnered community support and entered into escrow on the land.

Early visionaries had varied dreams for the park, but collectively, their goal was the same: to purchase the land and create a vibrant park for everyone.

Continue the Dream

With funding from more than 400 individuals and organizations and including investment from the Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund, the Foundation was able to purchase the land in late 2020. And they continued to dream: how do we create a park for all members of the community to gather, to enjoy, and to learn about each other, art, nature, and more? 

These dreams grew in leaps and bounds and the Petaluma River Park opened to the public. An accessible perimeter trail serving dozens of new daily visitors was designed and constructed. With help from Sonoma Land Trust, a community-based coalition was formed to research and engage the diverse communities in the development of a park for Petaluma. A representative board of directors for the Petaluma River Park Foundation was formed to reflect the diversity of the community. A major grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy provided a boost for the initial funding. In Fall 2023, Dream It was launched— an exciting campaign that provides a way for the community to share their hopes and wishes for the riverfront park. 

The story continues and we encourage your input. Add to this story with your dreams for the park.

More than 400 people and organizations came together to purchase a rare, undeveloped piece of land on the Petaluma waterfront in 2020.

A Park for All

At Petaluma River Park, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible outdoor place that enriches the lives of all residents and visitors to Petaluma.

There is much to unlearn in both the way that we create public space and how we run the organizations that lead and support them. Historically, many in our community have been excluded from the planning of parks and public spaces based on their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, level of wealth, age, mobility, or language.

Internally, our team works to understand our own identities and privileges and to create physical and psychological safety for each other and all of our many partners. We are also working closely with community leaders and our partners at Kimzin Creative to engage all members of our community in the River Park’s leadership, planning, development, and operations.

Read more below.

Join us in creating a vibrant and truly inclusive space for our community.

The Power of Partnership

Immediately after purchasing the park land, we teamed up with Sonoma Land Trust to build a coalition of local, mission-aligned organizations to create a robust community engagement plan—a document that guides the organization’s equitable development to this day. The Blueprint for Community Engagement names and defines the different communities of the area, identifies how, where, and when to best reach people in different ways, and addresses how the River Park must address systemic inequities faced by certain communities in order to empower these groups to truly become a part of the park-making process.  The coalition members are:

Here’s what we have done to foster equity so far:

Community-Led Design

We’re working with our partners at Kimzin Creative to engage more than 1,200 people in the creation of the River Park’s final design. Much of this work is art-focused, featuring three artists-in-residence who will provide visual, graphic, and spoken word programs to help co-create our Concept Plan.

Representative Leadership

We’ve assembled a Board of Directors that reflects the diversity of our local residents. We believe decision-making power at the highest levels needs to be informed by the perspectives of our entire community.

Frequently Asked Questions

As the Petaluma River Park Foundation advances plans for the new River Park, we want to ensure that our process is as open and transparent as possible. We’ve posted our top FAQs to help everyone learn more about the River Park and our vision and values for the Park’s future. Sign up for our mailing list to ensure you receive important project updates as they become available.

  • The Petaluma River Park is a new public park created by locals to connect people, art, and nature. It is a rare piece of wild riverfront land in the heart of downtown Petaluma.

  • The River Park is owned by the Petaluma River Park Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Foundation is guided by a board of directors and maintains a small staff. It is assisted by a top-notch group of civic volunteers and experts in all aspects of park planning. The Foundation purchased the land from the McNear family in 2020.

  • The mission of the River Park is to meet our vital need for shared space that connects people, art, and nature. When we succeed, Petaluma River Park will be a vibrant, welcoming place that fosters a love of nature, sparks creativity, and unifies our community for generations to come.

  • The River Park is being created to serve a broad community of residents of and visitors to Petaluma, Sonoma County, and the Bay Area. We are working together with locals from a broad range of sociocultural backgrounds, ages, and abilities in our community park building process to ensure that the River Park is a place for all.

  • The Petaluma River Park Foundation has been listening to the hopes and dreams of community members since 2020. The Dream It phase expands on this effort, engaging our community in activities to co-design the future River Park. Much of our community engagement plan is art-centered, featuring three artists-in-residence who provide exciting, interactive programs to elicit comments and ideas for our River Park’s future.

  • The Concept Plan combines community input with detailed assessments about the condition, capacity, and constraints of the River Park land. This plan lays the foundation for the Build It phase, where our design team, CMG Landscape Architecture and Prunuske Chatham, Inc., will apply their expertise in placemaking, waterfront park planning, and habitat restoration to create an artful and inspired plan.

  • We need your ideas and imagination! Keep an eye out for our art programs and public open houses beginning in 2024. Looking for other ways to get involved? Volunteer, attend an event, or make a donation!

  • Current plans call for beginning construction at the River Park from 2025 through 2027, with celebratory programs and events in mid-2028. This timeline depends upon various factors, including the final River Park design and the level of funding achieved.

  • To date, funding has been secured from individual donors, private foundations, county and state grants, and local businesses. We will continue to look to these sources, both locally and regionally, to meet our full funding needs. The total budget has not yet been determined, as it depends on final design and programming as informed by the community engagement process.

  • The River Park is intended to serve as a model of tidal marsh and riparian habitat restoration and a prime example of riverbank stabilization that is climate-smart and sea-level rise resilient.

  • Huru is a 38-foot-tall, wind-activated sculpture by Mark di Suvero, an internationally acclaimed sculptor with studios in Petaluma and New York. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the use of steel as an art medium and the use of a crane as an artist’s tool. Comprised of weathered I-beams and steel plate, the monumental Huru features large elements that are bent cold steel, a classic di Suvero process. His works are exhibited throughout the world, and in 2010, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. Read more.

  • In January 2024, the Petaluma River Park Foundation purchased a second riverfront property: 38 acres located at 500 Hopper Street in Petaluma. Adding to the 24 acres of the McNear Peninsula purchased in 2020, the acquisition expands opportunities to create a thriving riverfront park and cultural hub. Read more.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

- Hellen Keller

Who we are

Board of Directors

The Petaluma River Park Foundation has assembled a stellar Board of Directors, drawing on local talent in the arts, ecology, place-making, community engagement, strategic planning, fundraising, and operations. 

  • BOARD MEMBER

    With extensive experience in education and community engagement supporting immigrants, Ana is the Lead Bilingual Family Mentor for Petaluma Family Resource Center. She is a trusted member of the Latino community and is a skilled communicator and creative thinker who brings people together. Ana studied business administration, child development, and English as a second language.

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Stephanie is CEO of Skylight, a pioneering placemaking firm transforming buildings, districts, and neighborhoods across North America. She provides strategic vision for Skylight by fusing her passion for history, culture, and architecture with her marketing and tech background. She delivers unique solutions to drive revenue in underutilized spaces. Upon graduating from Yale University with a degree in History, Stephanie spent half a decade with Google in the Bay Area, Buenos Aires, and New York. She sits on the junior board of Creative Time, the General Plan Advisory Council to the city of Petaluma, the Yale Real Estate Association, Yale Women in Bay Area, and is active in other nonprofit and arts organizations.

  • BOARD CHAIR

    Trained as an artist, blacksmith, and metal fabricator, David has a B.A. in Art and English Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture. Building on his formal education and a series of apprenticeships, David is working on both public and private commissions and teaching graduate students at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Ray has 25 years of experience in nonprofit executive management. Most recently, he served as Director of Operations and subsequently, Interim Executive Director at the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. Currently, he is the principal of Fortitude Consulting, which provides forensic accounting, system development, and provides interim CFO services to a variety of nonprofits. Ray is an avid road biker and canoeist.

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Eliza is a trained field biologist who also works and volunteers in public health. Eliza cares for vulnerable populations, whether they are human, plant, or animal. She holds a BS degree from UC Santa Cruz in Ecology and Evolution and has spent nearly a decade participating in ecology field research in many ecosystems around the world. She’s an avid paddler, kayaking for field work and for fun, as well as a certified yoga instructor.

  • BOARD VICE CHAIR

    With a strong background in communications and production, Deb is an active volunteer in the Petaluma community. Among other positions, she served on the board of the Petaluma Educational Foundation and was a co-producer of Seniors on Screen, a Class of 2021 Initiative. She is drawn to the Petaluma River Park project because of its tenet of attracting diverse community members to engage with nature through recreation, education, the arts, and land stewardship.

  • BOARD SECRETARY

    Sean Paul is a sculptor whose work is often kinetic and interacts with the viewer, requiring their participation for its activation and movement. He is an expert metalworker and is the West Coast Studio Manager for Mark di Suvero (Spacetime cc).

  • BOARD TREASURER

    As a CPA and audit partner in the Not-for-Profit Service Group with Hood & Strong LLP, Jorge works in public accounting and has developed a niche of clients that work in the climate and conservation areas. He serves on the board of the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation, and formerly served on the boards of the Petaluma National Little League, Petaluma Community Foundation, and the Petaluma Youth Commission.

  • Darling is a co-founder of Petaluma River Park.  She was also a founding member of the foundation's Board of Directors and served until 2024 when the board inducted her into its Emeritus Board.  Darling was born and raised in the Philippines.  She studied, taught, and practiced Industrial Design there before moving to the US.  Darling is a mother of two wonderful boys and runs an art business with her husband, David.

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Brand consultant and former worldwide creative director for the Intel Corporation, Susan is a gifted visual strategist who brings her expertise in integrated marketing, creative direction, and strategic partnerships to the Petaluma River Park Foundation. Her identity as a leading brand authority stems from her work with Steve Jobs, Doug and Susie Tompkins, Lester Barnett, and Peter Drucker.

Emeritus Board

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Tatiana Mora Liautaud is an experienced Project Director with extensive expertise in non-profit leadership, focusing on systematic, social, and economic development. Through her multifaceted career, which includes roles such as Project Director at PRODEV in Haiti and as co-founder of FotoKonbit, Tatiana has demonstrated a profound commitment to community-driven education and empowerment. Currently, Tatiana serves as the Sr. Project Manager at Downtown Streets Team in Petaluma, where she leads an organization that builds teams to restore dignity, inspire hope, and provide a pathway to recovery from homelessness through innovative team-building and community service strategies.

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Ned, a Marine Corp Veteran, moved to Petaluma in 1976 from Southern California to open the restaurant, Steamer Gold Landing, which was located on the Petaluma River in the Great Petaluma Mill. It was open for 25 years! Ned has extensive experience in Construction, Development, Fundraising and Executive Management. He has worn many hats throughout his career. Ned was the president of Alpha Properties Management, a subsidized housing business overseeing Section 8 apartments. He was also a board member and founder of a successful local bank, The Bank of Petaluma. Ned and his wife, Sally, have been and continue to be enthusiastic supporters of Petaluma River Park!

Staff Members

The River Park team brings extensive knowledge of the Petaluma community, as well as expertise in strategic planning, park-making, fundraising, community engagement, and marketing to the project.

  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Born and raised in Petaluma, Seair became Executive Director of the Petaluma River Park Foundation in 2021. She is one of the original founders, visionaries, and volunteer developers of the project to purchase McNear Peninsula and transform it into a community park. Seair has held multiple marketing and community outreach positions in the Bay Area, including with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Headlands Center for the Arts, The Culinary Institute of America, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, and Griffo Distillery. She holds a dual MBA and MA in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University and earned a BA in History from UC Santa Cruz.

  • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

    Pam joined the River Park team in Fall 2023, bringing passion, dedication, and an ‘all-hands on deck’ attitude to community-building for the River Park. Her record of equity-focused community engagement work is strong and varied, from teaching college students about race and diversity to national service with Americorps VISTA to planning and managing local outreach events. She served as a Board Advisor for the Latino Health Forum and lead organizer for the 2017 and 2018 North Bay Women of Color Conference. Pam holds an MA in Education and a BA in English from Sonoma State University.

  • DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

    Marge became Development Director in 2022 after three years of fundraising for the Petaluma River Park Foundation as a volunteer while working as Senior Director of Development for the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University. She is a career-long nonprofit manager and fundraiser, including more than 10 years at The Nature Conservancy. Marge has an MPA with a focus on environmental policy and nonprofit management from North Carolina State University and a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Delaware.

  • MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

    Daniela joined the River Park team in early 2024, bringing creativity, devotion, and excitement to promoting the River Park. Daniela has extensive and diverse professional experience in the private and public sectors related to marketing, communications, and community engagement. She creates effective strategies for digital platforms, corporate communications, and brand management. She has a master's degree in Library and Information Science with a focus on interaction design and information architecture, which enables her to design user-centric and engaging content experiences. She is deeply rooted in the Petaluma community and currently sits on the board of the Petaluma Mothers Club.

  • ADMINISTRATIVE + MARKETING ASSOCIATE

    Alex brings her love of people, parks and Petaluma to our team. She has worked in customer relations and office management for several local companies, including Darey Brands and Redwood Hill Farm and Creamery. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Alex also worked in community engagement and as a tutor for California Mini-Corps through the Migrant Education program.

  • PARK CARETAKER

    Edgar joined the Petaluma River Park team in the fall of 2024, being one of the newest members to join. He brings pride and dedication to his hard work and a love for beautification.

    With an extensive background in landscaping, maintenance, and being a lead member of Downtown Streets Team, a community program here in Petaluma, he also brings experience in engaging with our diverse communities, bringing people together, beautifying our community and now our park.

Volunteers 

Dozens of community members and park advocates have stepped forward to help make the Petaluma River Park come to life. These individuals generously donate their time and expertise to projects and park planning upon request and serve as community ambassadors for the project. We are honored to have their support.

Stephen Lockert

Scott Loveless

John Mackie

Ruth Mankin

Osbaldo Marquez

Ted McCann

Carol McKegney

Julia Megna

Nancy Miljanich

Greg Mitchell

Ross Modlin

Greg Moore

Anthony Neve

Jen Newman

Caroline Neyman

Jerry Pozo

Aimee Reedy

Nathalie Rivas Nino

Kim Rodgers

Michael Rylander

Alexa Alarcon

Catherine Alden

Ray Atkinson

Roko Batibasaga

Andrew Belik

Eduardo Brambila

Robert Braren

Sharon Camhi

Diane Cauchois

Cody Chisham

Tim Choate

Sallyann Clarke

Susan Cohen

Cindy Crane

Jennifer Crane

River Cullen

Claudia de la Peña

Michael Deverell

Asher Dobson

Janet Durkin

Sara Duskin

Sara Ellison

Martha Ezell

D'Lynda Fischer

Amy Fitzpatrick

Marie Fox

Michael Funk

Laura Gavre

Tracy Gentry

Melissa Gonzalez Ortega

Hans Grunt

Laurie Hancock

Vasanti Jayaswal

Luna Jojoa

Christine Jossey

Brad Knop

Sarah Koniak

Ellyn Lazar

Justine Lessley

Thom Limbert

Deborah Savino

Freya Sharp

Brian Sheridan

Deb Sheridan

Zak Sheridan

Steve Smith

Tracy Smith

Linda St. Andrew

Neil St. Andrew

Liz Stanley

Mariah Steinmetz

Matt Stone

Polly Stone

Susan Sullivan

Penny Thrash

Devery Wallace

Cynthia Wilder

Adam Wiskind

Meg Lynch Wiskind

Allison Woods

Allies & Advisors

Numerous content experts — from ecologists to marketing executives to park and recreation veterans — have committed to ad-hoc support for the project as part of our Allies & Advisors cohort. 

Lisel Ashlock

Heather Balidini-Kistner

Marnie Burke de Guzman

Josiah Clark

Chris Cort

Bill Cover

John Crowley

Carlos deVillasante

Zoe Duskin

Kate Eilertsen

Debra Lehane

John Mackie

Ivana Mestrovich

Bryce Nahas

Kelly Nice

Rachel Osajima

Julie Parish

Crissy Pascual

Lee Pelton

Stephen Price

Phil Ginsburg

Chris Grim

Kendra Johnson

Natasha Juliana

David Katz

Jacob Katz

Joseph Kinyon

Thom Knudson

Jennifer Laporte

Alec Lee

Neal Ramus

Eric Ryan

Andrew Scavullo

Merlin Schlumberger

Sarah Seitchik

Amy Stimmel

Jennifer Stock

Kevin Swift

Gail Wight

Dream Team

As the Dream It phase of the River Park planning takes flight, we’ve created a Dream Team to guide us through this process. Thanks to the planning grant we received from the California State Coastal Conservancy, we are delighted to have this remarkable consulting group on board.

  • PUBLIC PLACE MAKERS

    CMG Landscape Architecture leads on design, applying their expertise in placemaking and waterfront park planning to create an artful and inspired site plan. Jamie Phiillips and Arturo Fuentes-Ortiz serve as project managers. As kismet would have it, Arturo grew up in Petaluma and his mom still lives just blocks away from the River Park!

  • COMMUNITY CONNECTORS

    Dr. Daniela Domínguez and Nikko Kimzin of Petaluma-based Kimzin Creative direct our art-forward, community-led engagement strategy with a focus on involving historically marginalized communities. They have worked with organizations across the Bay Area to amplify and center equity in planning processes. Click here to get a taste of how Kimzin uses art to engage community.

  • PARK GURU

    Park visionary, Greg Moore, serves as strategic advisor. Greg is Founder and Past President & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and is a leader and consultant to some of the most exciting park projects in North America and around the world.

  • COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

    Nancy Miljanich has devoted her career to strategic communications for nonprofit environmental organizations, universities, and national parks. Much of her work has been in support of the transformation of national parks in the Bay Area, including Crissy Field, the Presidio of San Francisco, and Fort Baker in Marin County.

  • RESTORATION ROCKSTARS

    Our longtime partners, Maggie Jensen and Brian Bartell of Prunuske Chatham Inc. (PCI), will continue to shepherd the project’s environmental restoration goals and help us navigate the regulatory, permitting, and environmental compliance domain as we work towards a climate-resilient and environmentally sound plan for the Petaluma River Park.