Title: Building Resilience and Relevance: Brenda Zamzow on Leadership and Relationships

Why It Matters

Zamzow’s approach shows how finance leaders can become strategic allies, fostering adaptability and relevance in nonprofits and corporations alike, while her risk‑taking narrative offers a roadmap for finance professionals aspiring to entrepreneurship.

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize mental‑health programming to stay relevant for modern girls.
• Treat feedback as a gift; actively solicit and act on it.
• Build trust across departments by positioning finance as a supportive ally.
• Leverage long‑term networks and relationships when launching entrepreneurial ventures.
• Embrace risk early; take decisive action despite uncertainty.

Summary

In this episode of the FEI Icons podcast, Heather Cole interviews Brenda Zamzow, the chief financial and administrative officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. Zamzow outlines how she oversees finance, risk, IT, people, culture and facilities while partnering with a colleague who leads mission delivery, illustrating the dual engine that keeps a century‑old nonprofit thriving in a fast‑changing world. Zamzow emphasizes three strategic pillars: refocusing programming on girls’ mental‑health needs, cultivating a culture where feedback is treated as a gift, and positioning the finance function as a trusted partner rather than a gatekeeper. She recounts launching an internal customer‑satisfaction survey that initially shocked the team but ultimately transformed finance into a service‑oriented hub, and she describes how the organization continuously scans social‑media trends to keep the Girl Scout brand relevant. Memorable moments include Zamzow’s mentor’s mantra—"feedback is a gift"—which she now models with her staff, and her personal entrepreneurial leap when she founded the Zamzo Group after a contract firm renegotiated her compensation. She recalls the anxiety of her first paycheck loss, the rapid rise to a top women‑owned business, and the lesson that a strong network can turn risk into opportunity. For leaders across sectors, Zamzow’s story underscores that resilience hinges on proactive mental‑health initiatives, transparent feedback loops, cross‑functional trust, and the willingness to take calculated risks. By leveraging relationships and viewing finance as an enabler, organizations can stay agile, maintain relevance, and drive mission‑centric growth.

Original Description

In this special Icons edition of the FEI Podcast, Brenda Zamzow, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, discusses how financial leaders can stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Drawing on decades of experience across public accounting, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership, Zamzow shares how to transform finance from a gatekeeping function into a strategic partner, the importance of building meaningful professional relationships, and how resilience is developed through real-world challenges.

This episode is part of FEI’s special Icons podcast series highlighting past speakers from the ICONS: Leaders in Finance virtual event. Join us on April 22, 2026 to hear from distinguished financial leaders shaping the future of finance.

Learn more about the ICONS: Leaders in Finance event virtual replay here:

https://www.financialexecutives.org/icons2026-virtual