Cheryl Hart

Cheryl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho, a fourth generation Idahoan, where, if she wasn’t in school or asleep, she was outdoors. Cheryl received a BA in Psychology from Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA; an M.Ed. in Human Services (Counseling) from Boston University; and a PhD in Adult Education from the University of Idaho. Besides Idaho, she has lived in Okinawa, Nurnberg and Stuttgart Germany as well as West Virginia, Arizona, and Texas, and is now living in Portland, Oregon.

Her professional background is in Strategic Planning; organizational development; grant writing; and program planning, implementation, and evaluation; and education. She has served as staff or Board for several different nonprofits and enjoys developing new programs and trying to figure out how to make them successful.

When Cheryl moved to Oregon in 2005, she soon discovered she was living within the acquisition boundary of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. She joined the Friends group, became a Board Member, and served as Chair of the Store Committee when the store was still just part of a blueprint for the new Visitor Center. She was President of the Board of the Friends Group from 2011 until 2016 and again from 2021 until the present. The Friends of Tualatin River NWR celebrated its 30th Anniversary as a Friends Group in 2023 and was honored to be the NWRA Friends Group of the Year for 2014.

Cheryl was a founding member of the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates and has served as Secretary and Vice President of that organization.

Cheryl loves to travel and has visited every continent and over 100 countries. But her favorite thing is spending time with family—son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons who all live in Portland.