Center for Nonprofit Leadership > Faculty

Dena Jenson
Ventura County Community Foundation
Center for Nonprofit Leadership

Dena Jenson, Vice-President and Director of the Ventura County Community Foundation’s (VCCF) Center for Nonprofit Leadership brings over 12 years of experience in day-to-day nonprofit management including board and fund development. In her current role, she directs a training and capacity building program providing over 100 workshops, conferences and networking opportunities tailored to meet the needs of the nonprofit community in Ventura County. Dena also serves as co-faculty at both Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University, fostering inter-generational learning opportunities among undergraduate students and nonprofit professionals in Ventura County.

With specialized training in public policy from the University of Southern California (USC), she has experience directing policy and advocacy activities including navigating the legislative and budgetary processes as well as conducting mission-aligned bill monitoring and analysis. Dena currently serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Santa Barbara / Ventura Counties Chapter and was recently elected to serve on the board of directors for the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN).

Prior to joining VCCF, Dena served as program and public policy director at the Perinatal Advisory Council, a nonprofit, maternal and child health organization that provides education, technical assistance and support to hospitals and health care organizations in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Dena serves as lead faculty for the Board Leadership Institute and facilitates the following CNL courses:

• How to Approach a Foundation
• Program Planning for Nonprofits
• Orientation to Foundation Directory Online – Professional
• Writing the Project Description
• Writing a Compelling Case Statement