Executive Director
Kelly Brown
Kelly moved to Spokane with her family from Arizona in 2015 and has been enamored by Manito Park ever since. Kelly sees Manito Park as one of our community’s most significant assets and finds continuous joy as an ambassador and advocate for the conservation of our community treasure. Kelly is proud to be a pioneer of The Manito Holiday Lights and The Manito Park Art Festival and loves the opportunity to work with community partners and stakeholders to support these events. She is excited to continue to help grow The Friends of Manito’s support of Manito Park for years to come. In her free time, she enjoys visiting Manito with her family and watching each new season sprout, running with friends through Spokane’s impressive trail systems and pathways, training for road, trail, and obstacle course races, and baking cookies for her cookie business. Kelly also serves as the Chair of The Citizen Advisory Committee of The Spokane Park Board.
Board of Directors
Debrah Maxwell
President
Debbie was born and raised on the Oregon coast and moved to Spokane in 2011 with her husband to be closer to family. One of the first places they visited was Manito Park and it quickly became a favorite of the family due to the beauty and the mix of different areas.
Debbie joined the board of TFM in 2021 as a replacement board member for a vacancy and was recently elected to her first term this year. She has served as the Board Secretary for nearly one year, being the first to fill the new role, and also serves on the Finance, Fundraising, Governance and the Art Festival planning committees.
In her free time Debbie spends time with her husband of 14 years either on any lake they can paddleboard on, or playing video games online with her parents (who still live on the Oregon coast).
Debbie is an ERM Analyst with Spokane Teachers Credit Union and has been in the finance industry for 16 years.
Jane Button
Secretary
Jane has a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Idaho and has been a CPA for 33 years. She has worked in higher education accounting and finance since 1987 and is currently the Sr. Director of Budget and Financial Analysis at Gonzaga University. Jane is a plant lover and earned a certificate from the WSU Horticultural Series in 2009. Jane is honored to be on The Friends of Manito Board, and she is interested in maintaining and enhancing the beauty and accessibility of Manito Park for all. Jane lives in Cheney and has two grown sons and two grandchildren. She enjoys skiing, gardening, and bike riding.
Jade Cuddy
Chair of the Governance Committee
Jade Cuddy is a lifelong Spokanite with a strong passion for her community and Manito Park. She is an Eastern Washington University alumnus and currently works at Washington Trust Bank in the Human Resource Department as their HR Business Intelligence Analyst. She is also a mother who enjoys taking her family to enjoy all that Manito Park has to offer. Her favorite part about serving on the Board of Directors is helping guide the future of the park with long-range planning. She hopes that her contributions now will serve her most favorite park for years in the future.
Judy Palrud
Co-Chair of the Plant Sale Committee
Judy has been involved with TFM since moving here in 2014. She lives with her husband in a 1926 bungalow not far from the park. Her duties with TFM include Plant sale volunteer coordination/recognition, yard art chair, plant sale co-manager, and board member.
Kellie Crawford
Chair of the Education Committee
Kellie is a third-generation Spokanite who grew up playing at her grandparents’ house across the street from Manito Park. From there grew a lifelong curiosity about the natural world. Dinosaur fossil digs, backpacking, insect collection fieldwork, anything to get outside and learn!
That love of learning led to her earning both her Bachelors and Masters in Education at EWU. After several years of managing the Education Department at Mobius Science Center she began teaching at her childhood school, Mullan Road Elementary. She is currently a library and science specialist there. This is her second year chairing the Education Committee for the Friends of Manito where she organizes children’s and adult programs.
Kathy Linford
Board Member, Treasurer
Kathy is a local nature and abstract photographer. She loves spending time in Manito Park several days a week and photographing its beauty during every season. She is thrilled to be on the Board of Directors for The Friends of Manito and is passionate about preserving the beauty of Manito Park for generations to come.
Bob Young
Board Member
Bob and his wife Nancy have lived in Spokane for 15 years. Bob had a 26 year career with the ABC Television Network, and retired as a Senior Vice President. During his years with ABC Bob won two Emmy Awards for his work. He is a combat decorated Vietnam veteran. He loves gardening, and has learned a lot as a volunteer for planting and working the plant sales
Ellen Presley
Board Member
Ellen Presley is one of our newest Board members, joining the TFM Board in January 2023. Ellen was born and raised in Spokane and returned here in 2013 after raising a family and enjoying a professional career in public education in Oregon. An avid gardener and plant enthusiast, Ellen has extensive experience working with and supervising volunteers. A dedicated volunteer herself, Ellen created and served in the position of House Manager for the Crisis Shelter for Women & Children at Union Gospel Mission. Now fully retired, she is an avid user and supporter of Spokane’s public parks.
Steve Vigus
Board Member
After graduating from Shoreline High School in 1960, Seattle Pacific University in 1967, and a stint in the U S Army with a tour in Vietnam; I moved to Spokane in September 1969. My career was in insurance as a Premium Auditor retiring in 2013. My interests are skiing, hiking, and cross-country running. I have been a member of the Spokane Symphony Chorale since 1972 and a Bloomsday Perennial. As a Board Member of TFM, I am most interested in the preservation and improvement of existing features and facilities and looking for ways to improve Manito Park.
David Ittner
Board Member, CEO Fairmount Memorial Association
David was born and raised in the Cheney/Spokane area and has worked in Spokane for his entire adult life. He attended Washington State University, earning a B.S. in Crop Science with a Turfgrass Management Emphasis. Upon graduation he worked at the Spokane Country Club for three years as an assistant superintendent and was also a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician. In 2003 David began working as the superintendent at Fairmount Memorial Association, a local non-profit cemetery association. David moved into the role of President and CEO of Fairmount in 2018, where he continues his 20+ year career with the company.
Though David has visited Manito Park many times throughout the years, his interest in the park peaked after a tour through the Leadership Spokane program, where he learned about the history and operational aspects of the park. Now, as a board member, he looks forward to helping preserve the park’s legacy for future generations.
Alex Jankovsky
Board Member, STCU
Alex is new to Spokane, having moved here in July 2021 from Colorado. Whether she is hiking with her husband and their Chocolate lab or basking in the sun on a fishing boat, she's just happy to be outside. Manito Park was the first place she visited in Spokane, and she's loved it ever since. Alex graduated from the University of Colorado with an M.S. in Accounting and earned her CPA shortly after. She has spent her career in finance at both large and small businesses. She's currently on the Finance team at STCU.
Tony Bourus
Board Member