Our Board
Friends of the Palo Alto Parks is governed by a small board of park enthusiasts that meet once a month ten months of the year. There is no general membership. To keep expenses down, the officers and directors are all volunteers. Current officers and directors:
Susan Beall, President
Susan has been an active Palo Alto resident for over 50 years. She worked as a RN in several capacities and is currently retired from working as an independent travel counselor. She is currently a member of Western Horticulture Society, Gamble Gardens and is a committee chair of the Palo Alto History Museum.
Jeny Smith, Vice President
Jeny is a native Palo Altan, a sustainable real estate professional, and an avid home gardener. She adores the many secret nooks of Palo Alto's parks and open spaces and enjoys taking her daughter to all the wonderful playgrounds in town as well as teaching her about wildlife at Foothills Park and at the Baylands.
Ed Selden, Treasurer
Ed has been a resident of Palo Alto for over 45 years. He has always enjoyed Palo Alto parks. Before retiring, he worked for many years as a software and systems engineer. He also was active in the PTA while his children were in school.
Linda Selden, Secretary
Linda has been a resident of Palo Alto for over 45 years. Before retiring, she was a Senior Editor at Sunset Books. She has always valued Palo Alto’s neighborhood parks and open spaces.
Richard Hackmann, Director
Richard Hackmann moved to Palo Alto in 2009 shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois. Since arriving, Richard has worked as a Management Analyst for the city of Palo Alto, served on the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, was co-founder and chair of EPIC Palo Alto (the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce young professionals group), and is a member of the Palo Alto University Rotary Club. Currently Richard is a partner with Lighthouse Public Affairs where he consults on a variety of issues involving local and regional government in Silicon Valley. Richard’s favorite park in Palo Alto is Johnson Park because of it neighborhood feel and diversity of activities. In his free time, Richard enjoys being active outside, trying new restaurants, and almost any live sporting event.
Liz Hogan, Director
Liz has lived in Palo Alto for over 45 years. Her career was in book publishing. As a retiree, she is a community volunteer. She believes Palo Alto’s parks and open spaces are one of the city’s great strengths.
Juanita Salisbury, Director
Juanita has lived in the Bay Area since 2002. A Landscape Architect, she enjoys hiking with her husband in Palo Alto parks. She has served on the Executive Board of the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. These days she enjoys propagating native plants and tending several public pollinator gardens.
Roger Smith, Director
Roger has lived in Palo Alto for over 40 years while raising his family. Before retiring, Roger served as CEO of Silicon Valley Bank.
David Moss, Director
David has been an active 40-year Palo Alto resident. He recently retired after working in high tech as a business analyst at Varian, ROLM, Siemens, Apple, and most recently Wells Fargo. He just finished 6 years on Palo Alto’s Parks and Recreation Commission. With his wife, Jane, they raised three children, spending many days hiking, biking, and bird watching in Palo Alto’s open spaces while volunteering and participating in school, sports, and cultural activities including Boy Scouts, AYSO, Gunn Foundation, and Gunn Sports Boosters.
Deke Young, Director
You'll find Deke enjoying nature on the trails of Foothills Park, Arastradero, the Baylands, and mapping out running and cycling routes that interconnect our neighborhood parks, from Terman to Pardee and all the parks between. His appreciation for our parks and open spaces goes beyond his own physical enjoyment; he values their integration with our local neighborhoods, the joy they bring to outdoor recreationalists, and the sense of community fostered among park visitors. As a member of the Friends of Palo Alto Parks, Deke is inspired to enrich our park and open space experience for people today, and ensure a lasting positive experience for future generations.
Advisory Board
Jagdish Basi, Allan Brown, John Erving, Kristine Erving, Barbara Gross, David MacKenzie, Bill Reller, Jeffrey Traum