Alumni spotlight: Brenda Zamzow ’84

After growing up on a farm in a small Wisconsin town, Brenda Zamzow wanted to obtain a college degree to help her see the world and create a different kind of life.

“Getting into UW-Eau Claire was one of the most exciting and proudest moments of my life to that point, and a pivotal turning point for me personally,” Zamzow says. “I learned independence, the importance of new and varied friendships, the power of networking and witnessing different views, and the joy in a seemingly endless sea of opportunity.”

Zamzow. who received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is the chief financial and administrative officer for the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and a key member of the executive leadership team. She is responsible for the $24 million annual operating budget; the 18 owned and leased properties; human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion for more than 150 employees; cash management and strategic investments; overseeing the outsourced technology function; and risk management. Additionally, she is responsible for the council’s annual capital expenditures budget, which includes multimillion-dollar construction projects.

Prior to joining GSGLA, Zamzow founded and led The Zamzow Group Inc., an accounting services firm providing seasoned financial professionals to clients including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Ernst & Young (EY) and Southern California Edison. 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 Century and general manager of FoxStar Productions. Zamzow began her career in the London office of EY and relocated to Los Angeles.

Zamzow was named an ICON: Women of Note by Financial Executives International, received the CFO of the Year Award from the Los Angeles Business Journal, was named to the inaugural class of the Top 40 Women of Influence by LA Biz and was included among the top 100 Women-Owned Businesses in Los Angeles.

“My UW-Eau Claire experience taught me that I was strong and capable of accomplishing some pretty amazing things,” Zamzow says. “But not alone. UW-Eau Claire taught me that to be the best you can be and to live your best life, you need to challenge yourself, you need to keep dreaming big dreams.”

Zamzow was a recipient of the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association’s President’s Award in May 2023 that recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and service to UW-Eau Claire.