Elizabeth Jensen has joined the Catalina Island Conservancy as our new chief financial officer. Elizabeth brings deep expertise in nonprofit financial leadership and will play a critical role in supporting its mission while advancing the long-term financial health of the organization.

Elizabeth has an impressive background in nonprofit finance, having most recently served as chief financial and administrative officer at Goodwill of Orange County. In that role, she managed fiscal management across 22 retail locations and e-commerce operations, oversaw annual audits and tax reporting, and served as the liaison to the organization’s Finance, Audit and Investment Committees. Prior to Goodwill, Elizabeth served as chief financial officer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, where she stewarded the financial resources of its parishes and schools in support of the strategic plan and mission. She oversaw finance, accounting, investments, internal audit, information technology and risk management.

Elizabeth is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame. She was named Chief Financial Officer of the Year in 2023 by the Orange County Business Journal and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. She also sits on the Accounting Department Advisory Board for Notre Dame.

Outside of her professional work, Elizabeth has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and the responsibility we all share in preserving it for future generations. Joining the Catalina Island Conservancy is especially meaningful to her, combining that lifelong passion with her professional commitment to environmental stewardship.

In her new role, Elizabeth will oversee the Conservancy’s finance and accounting functions, financial forecasting, planning and analysis, investment management and information technology. Her experience managing complex, multi-revenue nonprofit organizations aligns directly with the Conservancy’s operations across recreation, ground leases, retail, fundraising and other enterprise activities that fund the mission.

Elizabeth’s experience leading finance at major nonprofit organizations and her track record of building high-performing teams will be valuable as the Conservancy enters its next phase of organizational development and island restoration.