Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Nicolas Elsishans as CCA’s next chief financial officer, effective February 28. 

Nicolas brings a career-long dedication to the financial and operational advancement of large Bay Area nonprofits, most recently serving for ten years as Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco. In that role, he oversaw the organization’s $72 million operating budget, and was responsible for all business and finance operations, as well as supervision of human resources, administration, and information technology operations. In addition, he provided budgetary oversight for large capital projects, including construction, renovation, maintenance, and conservation of new and historic park properties. 

Prior to that, he held the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where he oversaw the museums’ $68 million annual operating budget and foundation’s invested assets of $260 million, and was closely involved in the organization’s negotiations and compliance with collective bargaining agreements.   

Nicolas brings an impressive portfolio of knowledge and experience to CCA, and I’m looking forward to working with him as a strategic partner as we continue our recovery from the disruptions of the pandemic and move forward with the unification of our campuses. His deep ties to San Francisco, involvement with the Bay Area cultural community, and accomplishments in his roles as chief financial officer for other large, complex, and future-focused nonprofits make him the ideal person to join CCA’s leadership team.

I want to thank all the members of our community who participated in the process, in particular the members of the search committee: Dr. Scott Cline, vice president of Enrollment Management and Auxiliary Services (chair); Susan Avila, senior vice president for Advancement; Mara Hancock, senior vice president of Operations and CIO; David Meckel, senior advisor to the president; and Dr. Ayana Richardson, associate vice president, Academic Operations. And of course, a heartfelt thank you to Ed Prohaska, whose accomplishments as CFO were many during an extraordinarily challenging time. I’m grateful for all Ed has done for the college, and I wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.

Please join me in welcoming Nicolas to CCA later this month.

Sincerely,

Steve

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