Valerie Zawada

Strategist, Client Services

With a dynamic background that reflects my creativity and business acumen, I have had the privilege of working in diverse industries – including non-profits, arts & culture and small business. In my time at Brandtrust on the Client Services team, I have found joy advocating for stakeholder thinking and purposeful business, as well as in finding the strategic story within our audience’s experiences. At my professional core, I am driven by big-picture-thinking and feel called to serve the world through my work as a strategic advisor and better world believer.

While not at work, you can find me either biking the lakefront trail, hiking a local forest preserve, or working on a volunteer board for a local professional group. I love to work in my neighborhood’s coziest coffee shops and explore Chicago’s festivals & cultural events. My favorite community building experiences happen over food and drink with friends and family, and I continue to find great enjoyment in creative pursuits. I feel privileged to be a perpetual pupil of the human experience – and curiously consider where we’ve been and where we are going.

  • Culture List: “The Heart of Business” by Hubert Joly, “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek, and poetry written by Mary Oliver, as her writing encourages me to slow down and reflect.
  • Bucket Items: Hike in Patagonia, give a TED talk and own a home with a big yard.
  • Memorable Facts: My family’s pierogi recipe makes delicious pierogies!
  • One Human Truth I Live By: Time’s arrow flies ever forward.

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