Senior Advisor
An Impact Finance Center Senior Advisor, Elaine Walsh Carney is a philanthropy advisor and climate investor with more than 27 years of experience advancing climate solutions, education, youth development, and land conservation. She has advised more than 55 organizations in raising over $1.4 billion through complex fundraising initiatives involving lead donors, senior executives, board members, and cross-functional teams.
Elaine is the Founding Principal of Pathfinder Philanthropy Advisors, where she specializes in impact investing, fund development, philanthropy, facilitation, mediation, and negotiation. She helps organizations create a strong culture of philanthropy and build the partnerships, research, donor engagement strategies, infrastructure, and internal capacity needed to pursue ambitious funding goals. Her expertise includes capital campaign planning and implementation, collaborative process design, due diligence, volunteer training, and executive and team coaching.
Elaine has lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for more than 30 years and has been an active leader in the Rocky Mountain nonprofit and conservation communities. She served on the Wyoming Agriculture and Natural Resources Mediation Board from 2010 to 2018, following appointments by two Wyoming governors. She also served on the boards of Western Resource Advocates from 2012 to 2020 and Energy Conservation Works from 2017 to 2026.
Elaine currently serves on the boards of Issue One, the National Outdoor Leadership School, and the Northern Kenya Fund. She is also a member of the Climate Philanthropy Catalyst Coalition and a founding member of the Redwoods Collective. Her earlier experience as a NOLS instructor and her extensive work in nonprofit leadership and conflict resolution continue to inform her collaborative and practical approach.
A dedicated conservationist, Elaine is an avid skier, hiker, and tennis player who enjoys traveling and spending time in the mountains with family and friends.