Get to Know Liz Sterling, Chief Finance Officer at FFTC 

When Elizabeth “Liz” Sterling talks about her career, she doesn’t start with job titles or balance sheets. She starts with who she is – Mom. Wife. Athlete. Banker. 

Liz with her husband and twin daughters.

Liz has worked with money her entire career. She’s helped build it, move it, protect it and most importantly, translate it into action.  

But when asked what excites her most about being chief financial officer at Foundation for the Carolinas, she doesn’t talk about spreadsheets or systems. She talks about trust. 

“At the end of the day, we are caring for other people’s resources,” Liz said. “That responsibility should never feel routine.” 

As CFO, Liz provides strategic financial and operational leadership for FFTC and its affiliates, overseeing finance, accounting and donor operations to ensure long-term sustainability and sound stewardship. Yet what distinguishes her leadership is not just experience, it’s her passion for teaching and building a cohesive team that supports the collective mission.  

A Career Built on Curiosity and Discipline 

Liz’s path to finance wasn’t linear or handed to her. Raised in Wisconsin, she grew up as a year‑round athlete, balancing volleyball, gymnastics and soccer. 

She began college at a community junior college, played volleyball competitively and paid her own way through school before transferring to UW‑Whitewater and later Michigan State University. Along the way, she learned to adapt quickly, work hard and keep going even when plans changed. 

Liz initially imagined herself in a classroom, drawn to teaching but also aware of the need for financial stability, and with a natural knack for numbers, she chose a path in finance that ultimately allowed her to keep teaching in different ways, ensuring her teams always understood not just the what, but the why behind the work. 

Her career took her from manufacturing to banking to consulting, start‑ups and private equity, building expertise across industries and business models. She held senior leadership roles in finance and operations, including serving as Interim CFO for a major arts organization and as CFO of a Charlotte‑based SaaS company, where she built financial and risk frameworks from the ground up. 

“The early part of my career was about learning systems and scale,” Liz said. “Understanding how decisions ripple through organizations.” 

When Numbers Meet Impact 

After years in the private sector, Liz encountered a question many seasoned executives eventually face: How can these skills be used differently? 

Her work with Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Schools helped answer it. 

Receiving the 2024 Community Impact Award from the Urban League of the Carolinas.

Through the inaugural Executives in Residence program, sponsored by the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, Liz partnered with CMS leadership to help reshape the district’s budgeting and financial strategy. The work required aligning leadership, clarifying priorities and building a transparent narrative around one of the most scrutinized budgets in the region. 

“It was hard work,” she said. “But when everyone finally came together around a shared vision, you could feel the shift.” 

A CMS parent (at the time), the experience was both professional and personal. The resulting budget – the first approved without significant issues in years – earned Liz the 2024 Community Impact Award from the Urban League of the Carolinas. 

“That recognition meant a lot,” she says. “Not because of the award itself, but because it confirmed that the change mattered.” 

Leadership with Transparency… and Humanity  

One lesson has guided Liz throughout her career: Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s always necessary. 

“Transparency matters,” she said. “Facts over emotion. You have to tell the truth, even when it’s hard.” 

She believes strongly in setting expectations, explaining context and helping teams see the full picture behind their work. 

“When people understand the ‘why,’ accountability changes,” she said. “You’re not just doing tasks; you’re contributing to something bigger.” 

That philosophy extends to her views as a female executive and mother. Liz is candid about the assumptions women leaders often face and believes leadership should make room for humanity, not suppress it. 

“Everyone brings a different story with them,” she said. “Acknowledging that doesn’t weaken leadership – it strengthens it.” 

Learning Beyond the Office 

Outside of work, Liz’s curiosity and discipline continue to show up in unexpected ways. 

Liz crossing the finish line after completing an Ironman.

She’s an endurance athlete who has completed dozens of races, including triathlons and a Half Ironman after more than a year of training. “Exercise is how I reset,” she said. “When I get bored, I sign up for something hard.” 

She’s also creative. Liz sews, from tree skirts to window treatments, often without patterns. She took weekly sewing classes at Queens University for years, then continued teaching herself through experimentation. 

Cooking is another expression of care and creativity. Her kitchen has hosted many gatherings, including one Thanksgiving where she welcomed five visiting German students and prepared enough food to feed a small army. 

And travel remains central to family life. This spring, Liz and her husband will take their daughters on a college graduation trip to Northern Italy and Croatia—traveling light, carry-on and backpacks only. It will be their fourth international trip together as a family, a tradition rooted in continuous learning and shared experience.  

In many ways, the same approach Liz brings to her leadership: stay curious, do the work and never stop learning.  

Want more stories of leadership, service and inspiration? Explore additional team member features at philanthropyfocus.org/get-to-know-us/.