Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, Chief Financial Officer
About Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve
Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve has a history shaped over more than a century by insightful and public-spirited people who cherished the landscape design and natural beauty of Mount Desert Island.
The nonprofit Land & Garden Preserve offers serenity across 1,400 acres of astonishingly beautiful natural lands, trails, carriage roads, and three breathtaking historic pleasure gardens adjacent to Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine, between Seal Harbor and Northeast Harbor. Visitors enjoy our lands by walking a vast network of trails and carriage roads. We steward three top-tier public gardens of wildly different character: The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, Thuya Garden, and the Asticou Azalea Garden. Each is a horticultural work of art that reinforces a strong sense of place and contributes to the special wonder of coastal Maine. Our people are among our greatest assets. We proudly employ a dedicated team of talented gardeners and craftspeople with a passion for our mission to conserve and share the beauty of our historic lands and gardens.
The Preserve exists for those who want to connect with nature, to be inspired and restored, and to contribute to the conservation and sustainability of some of the most beautiful, historic public lands and gardens in New England. Through stewardship, openness, and tremendous care, the Preserve nurtures the essential interconnections between humanity and nature.
The Preserve was born from a deep love for the land and a desire to share it with others. We welcome members and visitors of all ages who seek to experience breathtaking natural beauty and who share a strong commitment to the environment, just like the people who work here. The Preserve and its people are rooted in a deep culture of respect – for humankind and its connection to nature, for stewardship and environmental integrity, for history and legacy, and for the artful power of fine horticulture.
The Preserve represents several dualities: its historic gardens are a step back in time, yet it maintains a keen focus on botanical innovation, horticultural excellence, ecological health, and best practices in environmental sustainability. We balance faithful historic preservation with forward-thinking approaches, and careful stewardship with public openness. The Preserve offers an invitation to wonder, think, learn, and discover. There is magic here. There is history, and there is joy, all ready to be experienced and interpreted anew with each visit.
For more information about the Preserve, please visit: https://www.gardenpreserve.org/.
The Opportunity
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will be a key member of the leadership team, responsible for overseeing the financial health and sustainability of Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CFO will guide the organization’s financial strategy, ensuring resources are effectively managed to support the mission of preserving and sharing the historic lands and gardens.
The CFO will be an organizational leader and shaper of culture. They will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO to fulfill the Preserve’s mission and adhere to its values. The CFO ensures that the financial management is aligned with organizational strategy and delivers what the organization needs to flourish. A strategic and experienced leader, the CFO’s primary focus is on directing and managing the organization’s fiscal functions, and they will provide strategic oversight ensuring that operations are aligned with fiscal systems and policies and collectively provide effective support to the entire organization as it evolves.
This is a unique opportunity for an experienced financial leader to work with a passionate team and play a critical role in sustaining the legacy of one of Maine’s most treasured institutions.
Contact
Liz Lombard and Angie Sessoms of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials via the Talent Profile or to Angie directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
At Koya, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our team, our clients, and the communities we serve. For more information about Koya Partners, visit koyapartners.com.