Joy has a way of getting Jenica Sedgwick’s attention.
“One theme in my life has been to follow my joy,” she says. “I value seeing joy glimmer ahead and being willing to step toward it.”
That willingness guided Jenica to BYU Marriott’s strategy program, a consulting career in New York City, and eventually a role as the first sustainability manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—a position that didn’t exist until she helped envision it.
For years, Jenica’s family has watched her use joy as a compass for making decisions. Her sister Jolysa says, “Anytime Jenica has trusted her sense of joy—especially when it didn’t look practical—it’s led her somewhere deeply meaningful.”
Trusting joy requires tending, something modeled for Jenica early on. When her father started digging a hole in the backyard, she and her siblings hoped it was for a pool. Instead, the pit was filled with compost, then sown with seedlings that eventually produced vegetables for the family table. The garden grew into a cherished part of family life and became an early lesson in stewardship, patience, and the quiet work of nurturing a vision long before others see it.
Today Jenica helps church leaders and members integrate energy use, water conservation, governance, and doctrine into a strategic approach. It’s a stewardship she didn’t anticipate—but one she readily accepted.
True East
Tucked along the Long Island Sound between New York and Massachusetts, Jenica’s hometown of Stratford, Connecticut, gave her an early sense of direction. A classic New England suburb, Stratford allowed Jenica to explore not only the woods beyond her backyard but also basketball, lacrosse, band, and AP classes.
Jolysa recalls Jenica stumbling out of a high school basketball
practice—the second of the day—during winter break: “She instantly fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. We reminded her, ‘You know that you don’t have to do this, right?’ ” Jenica awoke, insisting that basketball was worth it.
While Jenica pushed herself, she was buoyed by those around her. “She is a magnet for people,” says Jolysa. “She always attracted wonderful, fun, motivated people.” Despite being one of only a few church members in her school, Jenica was part of a close-knit, dynamic friend group. Her family attended a small, inner-city branch in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where Jenica met a community of devoted disciples, learned to both serve and be served, and first tried Jamaican and
Haitian food.
Her Connecticut community gave Jenica her bearings, but her family was her true north. The middle of five siblings—with a brother followed by a cluster of sisters—Jenica grew up in a home that valued independence alongside deep faith. “My mother always encouraged us to explore, to learn about the world and ourselves, and to keep showing up, even during hard times. My father was present and gently taught us how to cherish small moments of wonder and joy,” recalls Jenica. “The combination of my dad’s spiritual sensitivity and my mom’s faith in action created a wonderful foundation.”
The Sedgwick family enjoyed singing around the piano, and music became a natural way they could serve and connect. Inspired by their mother’s years in a local singing trio, Jenica and her sisters formed the Sedgwick Sisters as teenagers. Their mother sang with them and helped find retirement homes and other venues where the Sedgwick Sisters could perform songs from Golden Age Broadway and the Andrews Sisters. The girls eventually earned money from these performances
to put toward their BYU educations, but the years of music and togetherness were the real payoff. Summers also included performing plays written by Jenica’s sister Shalese, with proceeds donated to charities. These were early lessons for Jenica in using what she loved to serve others.
Strategic Wayfinding
“The thread through my college exploration was this desire to learn more about how the world worked,” says Jenica. She initially considered visual art or advertising, but her curiosity—and her grandfather’s encouragement—tugged her toward the business school.
Her sophomore year at BYU Marriott closed with a hard choice: accept a coveted summer marketing internship at Walmart or participate in a study abroad program. She hesitated to accept the internship, even though it was “the more practical choice.” The study abroad, on the other hand, “didn’t feel like the responsible choice—but it felt right,” she says.
Jenica chose the study abroad program. Traveling to seven countries across Europe and Asia gave her a global perspective and introduced her to a new group of friends who were studying strategic management. By the time the trip ended, Jenica realized she had found her path.
Once back on campus and officially in the strategy program, Jenica enjoyed the case-heavy, team-based curriculum. “There were a lot of long nights in the Tanner Building figuring out formulas in Excel, solving problems on the whiteboard, and practicing presentations,” she recalls. She discovered she had a knack for identifying each team member’s strength, including her own: “I enjoyed the synthesizing side—figuring out the questions we needed to ask, rolling it all up, and telling a story.”
That ability to sort through big questions proved just as important when Jenica found herself sitting beside Jolysa in the Conference Center during the 2012 announcement lowering the mission age from 21 to 19 for women. “My heart just completely dropped,” says Jenica, who was 21 at the time. “I felt like I had missed my chance to go on a mission.” She shared her conflicted feelings with Jolysa, who simply said, “If you want to go, just go. Everything will be here when you get back.” Jenica felt an immediate burst of joy and clarity. She went on to serve in the Brazil Londrina Mission. “It was a rewarding experience and such a happy time in my life,” she says.
Returning to BYU post-mission left Jenica feeling “a little bit like a fish out of water.” But she told herself, “Let’s just dive back in and see where life goes.” That step-by-step approach led her to join Cougar Strategy (a BYU Marriott student-led consulting group), earn first place with her team at the International Business Case Competition in Boston, and receive the 2016 Outstanding Strategy Graduate Award.
Looking back, Jenica sees a pattern that still guides her life: “The path just sort of reveals itself right in the moment I need it.”
Consulting, Recalibrated
Jenica’s entry into consulting began with a dynamic interview with EY-Parthenon, the boutique strategy and management consulting arm of EY. “Something just clicked,” she recalls. “All of my creativity and critical thinking unlocked. I found myself feeling alive and asking questions.” That energy signaled to Jenica that the role—and the firm—were a good fit.
Jenica began a summer internship at EY-Parthenon’s New York City office, just an hour-and-a-half train ride from her Connecticut home. Living in the Big Apple—sharing a tiny East Side bedroom and weaving past street performers on her way to the company’s Times Square office—felt invigorating. “It was phenomenal,” she says. “There was so much to take in and learn.” By the end of the summer, Jenica had earned a full-time offer to begin after her graduation in 2016.
EY-Parthenon provided an apprenticeship-style consulting environment; first-year associates typically spent their time deep in analysis—crunching numbers, building models, and supporting team members. Jenica began as a generalist, consulting across diverse industries.
“Jenica excelled right from the start,” says Elizabeth Palmer, a first-year consultant at the time who also became Jenica’s counselor through the EY-Parthenon mentorship program.
They first worked together on an education-sector project, in which Palmer had a managerial role and saw Jenica’s strengths take shape. “She was strong on qualitative skill sets, but she was always good at the technical stuff too,” Palmer says. “Jenica was very good at the things that are hard to teach. She understood the intangible parts, such as business context and getting to the crux of what the client was trying to solve.”
Palmer also worked with Jenica on a short-staffed due diligence project right before the holidays. “We were building a market-sizing model at about 2 a.m. in the office while most of our colleagues were at the EY holiday party,” Palmer recalls. “But there is no one I would rather be in a late-night crunch with. Those were the moments where Jenica’s great attitude really shone through.”
Outside of work, Jenica found grounding in the Harlem YSA ward. “It was such a balm for me to be able to rest from an intense professional experience and feel the best of the gospel so strongly present,” she says. She held great respect for the bishop and enjoyed the ward community of artists, Juilliard students, and composers.
Jenica lived on the West Side with two other women, eventually leveling up from a twin bed to a queen bed in a room with windows and a fire-escape view. The upgrade marked progress while promotions at work sparked bigger questions: Was a consulting career the destination or a springboard? What would bring her lasting joy?
Course Correction
The EY-Parthenon externship program, which allows employees to work for another organization for six to twelve months, had long intrigued Jenica. In 2019 she reached out to Steve Christiansen, then- director of presiding bishopric projects for the Church, to explore a possible externship. The Presiding Bishopric’s Office oversees the Church’s temporal work worldwide—from welfare and humanitarian aid to meetinghouses and farms.
Their conversation opened Jenica’s eyes to projects and opportunities in which strategy translated into service—a meaningful combination for her. Soon after, though, a consulting assignment for EY-Parthenon took Jenica to Brazil for three months, and she set the externship idea aside.
Then the pandemic hit. “I was getting to a bit of a breaking point,” recalls Jenica, who missed the interaction consulting provided. She had been working remotely from her Stratford home and was on the verge of moving in with Jolysa in Utah when Jenica felt a distinct impression: Call Steve again. The resulting conversation confirmed there was still opportunity at the Church, including a new sustainability initiative in the pipeline—a light-bulb moment for Jenica. “Once again, it felt right,” she says. “The joy swept in.” Jenica notified EY-Parthenon that she’d found her externship.
With no formal program for someone at Jenica’s level, the Church adapted its internship program, which meant reduced pay and reduced hours. “There was definitely a ‘What have I done?’ moment,” she recalls. “But I told myself, ‘Give this time.’ ”
Jenica’s first assignment was a resiliency management project directed by Erika Finlayson, who at the time worked as a strategy consultant in the Presiding Bishopric’s Office. “Because Jenica came in with strong strategic, analytical, and presentation skills—plus her natural ability to learn quickly and adapt—she was incredibly valuable from day one,” Finlayson says.
Living at Jolysa’s home made it feasible for Jenica to get by on an intern’s salary, and the arrangement surrounded her with family support. As the pandemic brought a rotating cast of family members and close friends through the home (nicknamed “the commune”), a floor-to-ceiling whiteboard became a shared canvas for Jenica’s strategy brainstorms, notes of encouragement from roommates, and—as Covid restrictions lifted—plans for epic parties.
Jenica extended her externship at the six-month mark and stepped into greater leadership roles when Finlayson took on new assignments. As the work deepened and progressed, so did Jenica’s desire to stay. Jolysa recalls, “The difficult decision came when it was time for her to go back to EY.” By then, a full-time position had opened on the team, and Jenica—still drawn to the sustainability work, though nothing was guaranteed—applied. “She agonized over this decision,” Jolysa says. “It meant fully transitioning from her life in NYC to a professional and personal journey in Utah. There were many tears.”
Jenica kept weighing the pros and cons until Jolysa’s advice cut through the noise: “Just follow your joy, Jenica. This is how the Lord has always communicated with you.” Jenica accepted the full-time offer, eager to move from decision to action.
Steering Sustainability
When Jenica stepped into her new role, sustainability work was happening in pockets but without a shared framework. “While different departments had already been looking at sustainability, there hadn’t been anyone who was looking at it holistically,” notes Finlayson.
Jenica asked big-picture questions, listened intently across departments, and developed recommendations to help move the Church toward a clearer, more coordinated approach to sustainability—
prioritizing renewable energy, water conservation, and fuel efficiency. Leaders responded positively, and new questions quickly surfaced: What would sustainability management look like? Who would be responsible for guiding the work forward?
The answer was governance. Jenica and her team proposed creating a Sustainability Office within the Presiding Bishopric’s Office and hiring a full-time sustainability manager. “I didn’t really consider myself for the role,” Jenica says. “I had my hopes, but I didn’t expect it.” But when an unanticipated 15-minute calendar invite to meet with the presiding bishopric pinged her inbox, she felt a spark. During the meeting, Bishop L. Todd Budge—whom she had worked with closely for more than a year—invited her to step into the new role. “It was really easy to say yes. I was absolutely thrilled to keep going; it felt right,”
she says.
Jenica officially began the position in May 2022, and the work moved quickly. “She just flew,” Jolysa says.
By 2025 the Church’s sustainability efforts had expanded to include the installation of 1,800 smart irrigation-controller systems at
meetinghouses across the Intermountain West, saving an estimated 500 million gallons of water annually. In the US and Canada, the Church’s vehicle fleet shifted from roughly 14 percent to about 70 percent hybrid vehicles. And new water-asset transactions, including a 20,000-acre-foot donation and a 10-year lease with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, are helping support long-term ecological restoration.
Other efforts span even broader geographies. More than 800 church-owned facilities—including meetinghouses, temples, schools, and warehouses—now produce on-site solar power across some 45 countries, with additional projects approved. Since 2022 the Church has also supported the construction of solar-powered desalination plants that provide clean water for thousands of residents, with plans to expand.
Between major milestones, Jenica trains leaders and tells the story of the work as it unfolds. She meets with church facilities and operations managers across time zones, helping them integrate sustainability into what they are already doing. A central part of her role is distillation—turning months of analysis into what matters most so leaders can act without feeling overwhelmed. She also talks with the media, helping church members understand the work and how they can be part of it.
“Jenica has brought the organization from a place where people had lots of disparate ideas to a place where there is more alignment and systemic thinking,” Finlayson says. “She has done so much to base all of this work on a doctrinal foundation—on our beliefs about the spiritual nature of the Earth and our responsibilities as its caretakers.”
Jenica Sedgwick helped develop the Church’s sustainability initiatives, which were first shared publicly by Elder Gérald Caussé at an environmental stewardship conference in Brazil in October 2023. The initiatives have since expanded from six to eight.
- Increase energy efficiency.
- Adopt renewable energy.
- Conserve water, based on ecological needs and resources.
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle to avoid material waste.
- Reduce transportation emissions.
- Practice sustainable design and construction.
- Practice sustainable farming and ranching.
- Adapt to climate risk and improve resiliency.
Where Joy Leads
Over the years, Jolysa has observed how Jenica’s choices ripple outward. “Jenica is just trying to do something she finds meaningful,” Jolysa says. “But what makes her happy also has a big impact on the people around her. When Jenica feels full, she radiates goodness that gives so much to others—without even realizing it.”
That ripple effect has only grown through Jenica’s work for the Church. “Jenica is excited to be at an organization with such reach,” says Jolysa. “She has repeatedly said that she is so impressed with and grateful for how seriously the presiding bishopric has prioritized sustainability.”
For Jenica, stewardship isn’t about control but about care and courage: starting with a seed, tending it with intention, and trusting others to help it grow. That approach is grounded in the faith she finds in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
The verse reminds Jenica that trusting God replaces fear with clarity and strength. “Some of the greatest manifestations of God’s power in my life have come when I’ve combatted my fears through a leap of faith,” she says, “and then the light floods in.”
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Written by Shannon Keeley
Photos by Bradley Slade
