STAFF & BOARD – Urban Nature Partners PDX

Kristin Bowling

Founder, Executive Director

Kristin served as a ranger and peer leader in interpretation and education in the National Park Service for 15 years, and earned a Master’s degree in education at Portland State in 2012. After many years of living in rural areas around the Pacific Northwest, she fell in love with Portland’s wildland-urban interface. Her work coordinating after school programming at a SUN School and leading a Teen Naturalist Team for Portland Parks and Rec got her thinking about how to better connect youth from historically marginalized communities with our amazing urban greenspaces, and she began efforts to found UNP-PDX in fall 2013. Kristin spends her spare time kayaking, hiking, motorcycling, and exploring around the PNW; engaging in additional social and environmental justice advocacy balanced with meditation; and cooking up a feast from her garden plot.

Oscar Cáceres Jiménez

Assistant Director

Oscar was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where he got his bachelor’s degree in social psychology from PUCP, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. His professional experience there consisted of non-profit work and social research, in areas such as sustainable urban mobility and public space use, environmental preservation, women's empowerment, financial literacy, and market research. His research field work allowed him to work with many culturally and geographically diverse populations in Peru, like remote Amazonian communities, rural Andean communities, fishing communities from Peru’s north coast, and marginalized urban low-income neighborhoods in Lima.

Karin Cereghino

Development Coordinator

Bio coming soon

Carlia Knox

Accountant/ Board Treasurer

Carlia is originally from Hong Kong, studied in Canada and the US, and received her bachelor's degree in Intercultural Studies, graduate certificate in TEFL, and post-baccalaureate certificate in Accounting. She has over 20 years of volunteering experience in nonprofit settings with childcare, K-12 education, international students, immigrants, hospitality, and community involvement. Carlia enjoys traveling, hiking, soaking in hot springs, going to different cultural festivals, spending time with family, and entertaining guests in her home for Asian cuisines.

Cameron Luck

Board President

Cam was born and raised in Oregon. He received his BS in Engineering at OSU and completed his medical and residency training at OHSU. Cam is now retired from Pediatrics after over 30 years working in the Portland community, and he is the father-in-law to one of UNP's long-time mentors from our second cohort. He enjoys the outdoors, running, cycling, and spending time with his family.

C. Maribel Jiménez

Board Secretary

Maribel was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico, raised in Los Angeles County, California, and has now been a Portland, Oregon resident for almost a decade and truly enjoying the PNW vibes. She is a Long Beach California State University (CSULB) graduate (“Go Beach!”), where she received her bachelor of arts degree in Business Administration. She works in the corporate world and finds work/life balance by engaging intentionally in the outdoors with family, friends, and local community. She seeks constructive ways to connect with diverse circles and build community. She’s served as a co-lead to in her employer’s Latinx employee-led resource group, to support DEI efforts to create community, cultural awareness and career advancement, and she’s enjoyed being a long-term mentor through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program dedicated to making a positive impact to a child’s life.

Marjie Sackett

Board Member

Marjie was born and raised in Oregon and holds a BA in Anthropology and a MA in International Development. Working in the humanitarian sector for more than a decade, she has lived and worked more than a dozen countries in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and the Middle East, supporting communities as they respond to and recover from natural disasters and conflict. The time spent away from Oregon has made Marjie profoundly grateful for all that our city and state have to offer. She enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and rowing on the Willamette River.

Dorothy Nichter

Board Member

Dorothy is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and relocated to Portland early 2022. She joined the UNP board in June 2022, looking to give back to her new local community. In her day job, Dorothy is a marketing consultant, supporting process and workflow improvements for major brands, and serves on the steering committee for her employer's DEI efforts. Dorothy enjoys skiing, yoga, and exploring all that the PNW outdoors has to offer.