About Zilker 351
The future of Zilker is brighter when we work together.
Our Mission
Zilker 351 works to honor, preserve and enhance the natural, cultural, and recreational treasures of 351-acre Zilker Metropolitan Park for all.
Our Vision
To honor Andrew Zilker's statement that Zilker Metropolitan Park “ought to belong to all the people of Austin," Zilker 351 envisions a park that welcomes all visitors to experience its natural beauty, vibrant programs, and recreational opportunities, and to become stewards of the park for current and future generations.
Our Story
In 2021, 16 organizations within and adjacent to Zilker Park began meeting to discuss and provide input on park and visitor needs through the City’s community engagement process along with many other stakeholders. These groups have decades of experience providing the free summer hillside musical, Kite Fest, summer camps for kids without the barrier of cost, community pool cleanings, environmental education, outdoor activities, and boating experiences. With support from Leadership Austin and Austin Together, they formed the Zilker Collective Impact Working Group, which later established Zilker 351 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Zilker 351 has not yet established a partnership agreement to support PARD’s work but plans to explore this through PARD’s Community PARKnership program. PARD will continue to manage and oversee Zilker Park, which will always remain public parkland.
Zilker 351 Board Members
-
Karen Brimble, Board Member
Karen is a co-founder and director of the Austin-based One Skye Foundation. Having been philanthropically active since 2000, she currently serves on the boards of the Barton Springs Conservancy and Texas Book Festival and is a member of the Austin Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund. Karen has served on the boards of National Charity League-Austin, A Legacy of Giving, Round Rock Health Clinic, Girlstart and Avance. In addition to having served as board chair of the Texas Book Festival, Karen is a former board president of the Round Rock Health Clinic and was honored to receive the Sertoma Volunteer of the Year Award for her work at the Clinic. Karen is a graduate of The University of Texas, McCombs School of Business.
-
Michael Cannatti, Board Member
A founding partner with Terrile, Cannatti & Chambers, LLP, Michael is actively involved with community issues relating to Barton Springs Pool, neighborhood association matters, and neighborhood planning through board service with Barton Springs Conservancy (2014 to present); Friends of Barton Springs Pool (2009 to present); Tourism Commission (2018-present); Zilker Park Working Group (2018-2019); City of Austin Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals (2008-2016); Residential Development Regulation (McMansion) Task Force (2006); West Austin Neighborhood Group (1999 to present); Leadership Austin Essential Class of 2010; Central West Austin Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Planning Team (Chair, 2010 to present), and 2006 Roberta P. Crenshaw Honor Award.
-
Jason Cheng, Board Member
Jason is an Associate Principal and the Austin Director for DTJ Design, Inc. He is a registered landscape architect and planner. He has a background in both architecture and landscape architecture and has completed numerous projects in 15 states in the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico. Jason has been with the Friends of Austin Nature and Science Center since the group’s re-formation in 2018 and is working to complete the ANSC’s Vision Plan. Jason holds three board/chair positions for Washington University in St. Louis. He has also been a frequent guest critic at The University of Texas School of Architecture. Jason is currently a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Urban Land Institute. He is a former RECA Leadership Development Council Class Member and Oversight Committee Member, as well as the former Vice Chair of Development for the USGBC.
-
Deena Estrada Salinas, Board Member
Deena has lived in Austin for 15 years and has called District 5 home for the last 12 years, living in the South Lamar, Southern Oaks, Texas Oaks South, and now Onion Creek neighborhoods. A former City of Austin employee with nearly 11 years of service, she worked for Council Member Bill Spelman, the City Clerk’s Office, and as Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis’ Chief of Staff. Deena is a now a producer for a video game startup focused on treating mental health issues through gaming therapy. Her love of the city, its parks, and its natural beauty has never ceased. She and her husband, Jim, have a three-year old dog, Tito, and a kindergartner, Rodolfo, who attends Blazier Elementary, where Deena also serves as a Vice President of the PTA.
-
Rachel Green, Board Member
Rachel is a Human Capital Investor who is passionate about growing, educating, and expanding the pipeline of diverse leaders across the globe. Rachel is the External Engagement & Partnerships Lead for Google Cloud Go-To-Market, and previously worked as Global DEI and Recognition Program Manager where she operationalized a holistic Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) strategy and roadmap that ensures Google Cloud Strategy & Operations continues to seek, retain, value and develop people who represent the diversity of our world and who are building an environment where everyone belongs. Rachel serves as Global Chair for Black@ Cloud and Global Chapter Expansion Lead for Mixed@ Google; two of Google’s employee resource groups. As a community volunteer, Rachel previously served as a Commissioner on the Austin Economic Prosperity Commission and President for the Austin Trail of Lights Foundation, making her the first African American to hold this title.
-
Colin Wallis, Board Member
Colin is the Chief Executive Officer of the Austin Parks Foundation (APF), where they strive to improve the more than 300 parks in Austin. Prior to joining APF, he was a Development Director at Livestrong, where he raised millions of dollars critical to the fight against cancer. Colin is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and a dedicated member of the Austin community. He is a proud graduate of the Leadership Austin Class of 2010, a former board member and chair of The Trail Conservancy, and a founding board member of both the Austin Lessons Under the Lights Foundation and the Austin Clubhouse, and former chair of the governance committee and chair of the Sustainable Food Center board. When not in the office, he and his wife Michelle, daughter Pearl, and son Miles can be found playing in parks, pools, and trails around Austin.
Zilker 351 Advisory Board+
and
Zilker Collective Impact Working Group*
-
ABC Kite Festival
James Russell, Event Manager+*
-
Austin Parks Foundation
Colin Wallis, CEO+*
Joy Casnovsky*
Kayla Reese*
-
Austin Sunshine Camps
Erica Blue, CEO+*
-
Barton Springs Conservancy
Mike Cannatti, President+*
Karen Brimble*
Ralph Webster*
-
Friends of the Austin Nature and Science Center
Jason Cheng, DTJ Design, ANSC Vision Plan+*
Iaian Tester*
-
Friends of Barton Springs Pool
Steve Barnick, Past President+*
Mike Cannatti*
Ashley Todd*
Sarah Williams*
-
Girl Scouts Zilker Cabin
Gayla Nakamura, Property Director+*
Paula Bookidis*
Flora McArthur*
Cherisse Robison*
-
Hill Country Conservancy
Fleetwood Jacobs, Development Director+*
George Cofer*
-
Rowing Dock
Susan Goldberg, Owner+*
Kate Aoueille*
Lindsay Rohler*
-
The Trail Conservancy
Hanna Cofer, interim CEO+*
-
Trail of Lights Foundation
James Russell, Executive Director+*
-
UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum
Katie Robinson Edwards, Executive Director+*
James Russell*
-
Waterloo Disc Golf Club
Gordon Kelley, Club President+*
-
Zilker Botanical Gardens Conservancy
Holly Hawk, Development Director+*
Judith Craft*
Laura McCabe*
-
Zilker Theatre Productions
Mac Ragsdale, Second Vice President+*
Lisa Muir*
David Ponton*
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department Liaison
Christine Chute Canul, Community PARKnerships Program Manager
2021-2022 Facilitation Committee
-
Mike Cannatti
President, Barton Springs Conservancy
-
Karen Brimble
Board Member, Barton Springs Conservancy
-
Karen Blizzard
2021 Leadership Austin Fellow for Barton Springs Conservancy
-
Colin Wallis
CEO, Austin Parks Foundation
-
Angela Richter
(Former) Advocacy Manager, Austin Parks Foundation
-
Sandy Dochen
2021 Leadership Austin Fellow for Austin Parks Foundation
-
Hayden Brooks
Facilitator-Guide, Austin Together
-
Molly Stevens
Facilitator-Guide, Austin Together