NOTE: Thanks for your interest. Our 2025 board openings are now full. Updated 4/29/2025
The Arboretum Foundation is currently recruiting candidates to serve on its board of directors. The Arboretum board is a governing body of two dozen community members, leaders, and Foundation supporters who share in a commitment to stewardship and fiduciary trust. The board is particularly interested in people who have finance, fundraising, public relations, communications, and legal skills to share. Community members with lived experience of Japanese heritage are also encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates may contact us as info@arboretumfoundation.org.
Our Vision
Incoming board members are called to serve at an exciting time. The Arboretum Foundation and UW Botanic Gardens are coming together as a singular transformed organization dedicated to connecting people and plants in the heart of Seattle so we can thrive, together. Bringing together the world-class collections, spaces, and programs of the Washington Park Arboretum, the Center for Urban Horticulture, and the Seattle Japanese Garden—we will be a powerful leader in education, research, conservation, advocacy, and stewardship.
The Opportunity
Incoming board members have the opportunity to be involved in an organizational transformation, as we look to build out a new level of leadership, raise the profile of the Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, and expand our community connections from the Japanese Garden in the south, across Montlake and Union Bay, to the Center for Urban Horticulture.
This year, a decades-long project to transform the 520 Lid will come to life, activating a beautiful crossroads at the heart of the Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. Twenty-eight acres of open space will revert to Seattle Parks and Recreation ownership in just a few years, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for restoration, public engagement and education, and interpretation.
Background
Established in 1935, the Arboretum Foundation preserves and enhances the Washington Park Arboretum through a variety of dynamic programs and projects, including raising funds and advocacy, while managing membership and volunteer programs. It also helps to fund the UW Botanic Gardens, and since 2016 has co-managed the Seattle Japanese Garden with Seattle Parks and Recreation.
