Speaker

Brenda Zamzow

Brenda Zamzow is the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer for the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and a key member of the Executive Leadership Team. Her areas of responsibility include Finance, HR, IT, Risk Management and Properties. Ms. Zamzow joined GSGLA as a financial consultant in April 2010 to develop the financial model for the 5-year strategic plan. She then served as the part-time CFO for 3+ years, and in April 2014, joined GSGLA full time. She is responsible for the $23M+ annual operating budget, the 20 owned and leased properties, human resources for our 160+ workforce, overseeing the outsourced technology function, and risk management. Additionally, she is responsible for the council's annual capital expenditures budget which includes multi-million-dollar construction projects. She serves as the staff liaison to the Finance/Investment, Audit, and Property Committees, and is also active in fund development and leadership recruitment.

In September 2014, Ms. Zamzow was honored by the Los Angeles Business Journal with an award as the Non-Profit CFO of the Year. She was also named to the inaugural class of 40 Women of Influence by LA Biz in January 2015.

Prior to joining GSGLA, she founded and lead The Zamzow Group, Inc., an accounting services firm providing seasoned financial and accounting professionals to client companies for special projects, interim staffing and direct hire positions. Beginning in 2003 and over the course of the next 10 years, she cultivated an impressive list of clientele including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Ernst & Young, and Southern California Edison, and also catered to many small to middle-market companies and nonprofit organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Prior to founding The Zamzow Group, she was a financial consultant for Sony Pictures Entertainment where she designed more efficient processes for Sony’s international television division. Previously, she was Senior Vice President of Finance at Internet Directories USA, and served as Chief Operating & Financial Officer of Creative Intelligence, Inc. She spent 10 years at Fox Television, one of the world’s largest media conglomerate companies, highlighted by her work as Vice President of Twentieth Television & General Manager of FoxStar Productions. She began her career in the London office of Arthur Young & Co, later relocating to Los Angeles and joining Ernst & Whinney, which merged with Arthur Young to become Ernst & Young LLP.

In addition to her business achievements, Ms. Zamzow serves on several association and nonprofit boards. She volunteers her time and expertise to the Finance Committee of Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles.

She is the former Board Chair of the Angeles Girl Scout Council, the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the Ernst & Young Alumni Association. She has been an active member of several community and professional organizations, including the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, CalCPA Society, ProVisors, AICPA, Executive Women’s Golf Association, West Adams Heritage Association, and the Cheetah Conservation Fund. She is also a proud shareholder and season ticket holder of the Green Bay Packers.

A native of Wisconsin, she earned her B.A. degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). She resides in the historic Arlington Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles with her dogs and cats, and enjoys golf, traveling and animal rescue.