The Conservation Fund Announces Rayenne Chen as New Chief Financial Officer

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Conservation Fund today announced the hiring of Rayenne Chen as its incoming Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as the organization builds on 40 years of impact and more than 9 million acres of at-risk land conserved. 

“Rayenne brings an extraordinary combination of business and capital markets experience, and genuine passion for conservation that is rare and remarkable,” said Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “She has spent her career deploying large-scale capital with discipline and purpose, and she has lived her commitment to conservation through her board service at Natural Lands. With Rayenne joining our leadership team, we are exceptionally well prepared for the future.” 

Chen comes to The Conservation Fund from EQT Real Estate, formerly Exeter Property Group, a top global real estate private equity firm, where she served as a Partner and was a founding member of the firm nearly two decades ago. She led the firm’s capital formation and investor relations efforts, which raised over $20 billion in equity from institutional investors including pension funds, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and family investment offices.  

Chen’s connection to conservation is longstanding and personal. She currently serves as a Trustee of Natural Lands, greater Philadelphia’s largest land conservancy, which has preserved more than 136,600 acres and operates over 40 nature preserves. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an AB in English Literature from Harvard University. 

“The Conservation Fund’s model — using diverse capital tools to protect lands that sustain communities, wildlife, and working landscapes — is exactly the kind of mission-driven, business-minded approach that can be scaled for transformative impact,” said Chen. “I am deeply honored to join this team and to help build on 40 years of extraordinary impact.” 

Chen joins The Conservation Fund as John Gilbert, Executive Vice President and CFO, retires after eight years of transformative service to the organization. 

“I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to John Gilbert for his exceptional stewardship of The Conservation Fund’s finances and for the vision, integrity, and creativity he has brought to this role,” said Selzer. “John and the great teams that he has built have strengthened The Conservation Fund and our ability to grow, raised our profile and brought a new level of financial innovation to bear on our mission. We wish him a wonderful and well-deserved retirement.” 

“It has been the highlight of my business career to serve The Conservation Fund and to work alongside a team so deeply committed to protecting America’s most treasured lands,” said Gilbert. “TCF is uniquely positioned to scale its impact with a proven, financially sustainable model that can continue to generate permanent benefits for nature and the communities that depend on them.  I am thrilled that Rayenne will continue to bring more capital to our work.” 

Chen will be based at The Conservation Fund’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and will join the organization on March 30, 2026. Gilbert will stay on as a Senior Advisor through fall 2026.