“Tell me More”: A Conversation with Elisabeth Zeller, Craft3’s new CEO

Elisabeth Zeller, Craft3's CEO, is three weeks into her new job. I sat down with her to have a conversation that would go beyond reprising her impressive resume. My goals: learn about some important touchstones in her career, how she thinks about leadership, and how she sees capital as a tool for social good. Read on and you will learn one of her favorite sayings, what she learned while living and working in Alaska, and what she thinks success at Craft3 will look like.  

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What about your childhood and where you are from is important for people to know?

My story is part of the immigrant story. My parents were both born in occupied Paris. My grandparents married a week before World War II started.  

I mention this because history never felt distant in my family. It was very much lived in the stories we told, and world events weren't just in textbooks. They shaped the people who raised me. When we moved to the United States, I realized that that's true for many families here as well.  

Many of the inequities Craft3 is addressing have their roots in history, whether it's redlining and restrictive covenants, or broken treaties and land seizures. These consequences pass through generations. We see this in the different starting points that people are handed at birth.

How would your coworkers describe you? 

Curious. Able to hold hard conversations and stay with them without taking them personally. Able to see the forest for the trees and not lose sight of what is most important. 

Tell me about a formative leadership experience.

Stepping into a role I felt completely unprepared for. A few years ago, I was asked to step into an interim leadership role. There were other more senior, more long-tenured people in the organization. That ask, the confidence of the leadership that asked me to step into that role, and what I was able to accomplish transformed how I saw leadership and my future possibilities. 

How do you think about getting the best out of others? 

It’s about helping people see their potential - what they can already do. They might not believe it, but they can. This is not blind optimism, but belief based on what you have observed. Sometimes those around us can see things we don’t or can’t yet see. 

One of the most meaningful compliments I've ever gotten is from a former employee. When she went on to a role at another company, she wrote me and shared that it was my confidence in her that made her believe she could do this. I thought she was dynamite and that confidence helped her realize her potential.  

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We invite you to follow along as Elisabeth settles into her new role over the coming months. Sign up to receive email updates.

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Do you have a favorite saying or phrase that you use frequently?

“Tell me more.” I am deeply curious. My questions have questions.

I’d also like to share a quote that is a real touchstone for me. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative wrote in Just Mercy, “We all need justice. We all need mercy. We all need perhaps a bit of unmerited grace.” I try to balance these in my leadership: pursuing what is right, responding with compassion, and acting with humility.

Can you tell me how your time in Alaska shaped who you are today? 

I went to Alaska as a VISTA volunteer, which was the predecessor to AmeriCorps. I worked at an adult education center where the focus was on literacy and GED programs. We served logging camps and Native villages in rural Alaska. From there I went on to lead a children’s program at a domestic violence and sexual abuse shelter. 

These experiences shaped me in a couple of ways. Growing up in the northeast I was familiar with urban poverty. In Alaska I saw rural poverty, learned how hidden that poverty can be, and how remoteness compounds the challenges faced by low resource individuals. 

I also saw the tremendous strength of community. You would never drive by a car on the side of the road without stopping to make sure people were ok. 

Lastly, Alaska is where I met my husband, Gerrit. 

Can you tell me about an illuminating failure? 

My first reaction to this question is which one. There have been many but one early in my career stands out. I was given a stretch assignment, and I wasn’t able to deliver as I had hoped. At the time, I thought I had to figure it all out by myself. Soon after I realized no one was expecting that. That experience taught me that it’s ok to ask for help, to leverage the strengths of those around me, and that real growth comes from taking risks, even when failure is part of the process.

How has your relationship to finance changed over time? 

It’s grown and deepened. Early on I focused on budgeting and managing expenses. As my career progressed, I focused more on operational finance: using financial strategy to support organizational performance and decision making. In the past few years, I have focused more on debt financing and capitalization as tools to help guide growth, manage risk, and take advantage of opportunities. 

Please tell me about a financial concept you wish was more widely understood. 

Definition: The opportunity cost of a given action or decision is typically defined as the value of the forgone alternative action or decision. 

The concept of opportunity cost is really important. Every choice has trade-offs and this is true in finance and in life. 

We need to be curious, consider alternatives, and ultimately be comfortable without complete certainty.

What are some of the greatest strengths you’ve seen at Craft3 so far? 

The people, first and foremost, the commitment to our mission, the resilience of the organization and the willingness to have challenging conversations and evolve, adapt and innovate for the future.  

What do you think success at Craft3 will look like?

We deliver capital where it's needed to create meaningful, measurable, and equitable impacts. I think success means we're invited to the table because we're trusted and respected. We raise the standard for what impactful capital can do. We're accountable to the communities we serve. We listen deeply. We support and take care of our team.

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About Elisabeth Zeller

From her early work in rural Alaska to her leadership in corporate and nonprofit sectors, Elisabeth Zeller brings more than 25 years of experience spanning finance, operations, and social impact. Prior to joining Craft3, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Samsung Federal and Chief Financial Officer of the Oregon Child Development Coalition. She also spent over 20 years at Intel, where she held senior leadership roles in finance, compliance, and philanthropy.  

Based in Portland, Elisabeth serves on several committees and boards, including the Budget Committee of the City of Lake Oswego, Children’s Center of Clackamas County, and Central City Concern. Outside of work, you’ll find her in the water, on the water, or in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.  Learn more about Elisabeth.

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