STAMFORD — The Women’s Business Development Council has added three new members to its team.
Marian Gryzlo, Ed.D., will serve as vice president of philanthropy, Danielle Ruggiero will serve as director of programs, and Maria Zamora will join the team as a business advisor. WBDC now has a team of 38 professionals working in its five offices throughout Connecticut.
“We are so excited to welcome these three outstanding new additions to the WBDC team, each bringing impressive backgrounds and fresh perspectives to our organization,” said WBDC CEO Fran Pastore. “Marian, Danielle, and Maria represent WBDC’s ongoing growth in terms of our expanding team and our increased capacity, which allows us to support even more women-owned small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs across Connecticut.”
Marian Gryzlo
As vice president of philanthropy, Gryzlo is responsible for creating and executing WBDC’s development strategy, including attracting new sources of sustainable funding from the private sector and individuals to support program growth and impact.
For more than 30 years, she has advised leaders on designing and implementing strategies that combine profit and purpose to drive business and social value. She has worked for such brands as Mastercard, Fujifilm USA, TAMPAX, Thomson Reuters, and Ronald McDonald House New York in the areas of grantmaking, fundraising, and strategic alliances.
Gryzlo was on the faculty of Goldman Sachs Foundation’s 10,000 Small Businesses program in New York and trained business owners for the Women’s Enterprise Development Center in Westchester. She taught graduate leadership and communications as an adjunct at LIU and Manhattanville College. She has a doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University, an MBA in marketing from Iona University, and a certificate in organizational coaching from NYU.
Danielle Ruggiero
As WBDC’s director of programs, Ruggiero oversees entrepreneurial classes and business advising services at and manages a team of regional program managers and business advisors. She has more than two decades of leadership experience in program and product development.
Before joining WBDC, she held executive roles at Excelligence Learning Corp. and Really Good Stuff, where she led multi-location teams and developed proprietary solutions for the educational sector.
Ruggiero holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Boston College and is Dare to Lead trained and AGILE certified.
Maria Zamora
Zamora is a passionate and dedicated professional who thrives on providing financial guidance and strategic support to entrepreneurs and helping them navigate the challenges of running a business. She has more than 17 years of experience in accounting, sales, customer service, and HR management.
As a WBDC business advisor, she finds fulfillment in mentoring and supporting fellow business owners. She believes every entrepreneur can reach their full potential with the proper guidance and encouragement.
The WBDC mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut.
Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained nearly 20,000 clients in all of Connecticut’s 169 towns. Since 2020, WBDC has provided more than $11 million in grants to help fuel growth in small businesses throughout Connecticut.
