Local author and Hoyt Arboretum neighbor Phyllis Reynolds will be interviewing Hoyt Arboretum’s staff over the coming weeks to introduce you to the people who make up Hoyt Arboretum’s team. This week, we’d like to introduce you to Emily Lytle, Program Manager at Hoyt Arboretum Friends since 2017.
Hoyt Arboretum’s Program Manager is Emily Lytle, a native of California’s outer East Bay. Emily is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara where she had a double major of social work and global studies [don’t you wish you had majored in global studies?].
After college Emily moved to a job with AmeriCorps outside Philadelphia. Her work consisted of managing community gardens, teaching how to grow things and how to compost, and conservation. She loved the job but left after a year because she missed the West Coast. She settled in Portland in 2017 with an AmeriCorps job with Portland Parks & Recreation, where she was volunteer coordinator for Natural Areas on the East Side. This job morphed into a full-time position with Hoyt Arboretum Friends in 2019. As Program Manager, she manages Hoyt Arboretum’s education offerings for youth and adults, including teaching programs and working with volunteers.
A question of what was the best thing about the arboretum got this answer: “The Park itself—it is a unique, special place—a really nice community and family.” For a wish list she specified larger classrooms and better educational space.
Spare time activities for Emily include hiking, backpacking (a recent trip took her to Rainier), reading, painting, and cooking/baking. She makes her own sourdough bread. Working from home these days has an added perk for Sonny, an 11-month-old kitty that has been with Emily for a little over a half a year.
About the Author
Phyllis is a Portland native who has written two books about Portland trees and a history of Hoyt Arboretum. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology.