WORKPLACE
cafe with her sister , Makeda Berhane . “ That ’ s what we would want for our children .”
When the pandemic put their small business in flux , the community stepped up . “ People were just really intentional about letting us know that they would do their part in making sure we didn ’ t close down ,” Makeda says . They bought gift cards , beans and tumblers to show their support .
GIRL SCOUTS HEART OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
GIRL SCOUTS CEO SHARES HER SCOUTING ADVANTAGES
The sisters had two priorities at the time : continue to pay their small team who staffed their three locations ( one at Sacramento City Hall and another inside Mercy Medical Plaza ) and to be there for customers . “ We were trying really hard to make sure that we maintain a level of normalcy for all of us , including them ,” Makeda says .
But she was being pulled in another direction , too . Before the pandemic , she
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Growing up in Sacramento , Linda Farley was active in Girl Scout Troop 289 . Her mom was the troop leader and her sisters were also Girl Scouts . From camping and hiking to first aid training ; from serving as her troop ’ s treasurer to selling Girl Scout cookies , Girl Scouting gave Farley an advantage in life and provided the foundation of who she is today — the CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California .
Farley has had a lifelong love of leadership and developed her strong foundation for leading herself and others through Girl Scouts . Leadership is fundamental to the Girl Scout experience and at the heart of the Girl Scouts mission of building girls of courage , confidence and character .
Girls ’ needs have changed over the decades , but the fundamental values of Girl Scouting have remained . Girl Scouts strive to be honest and fair , friendly and helpful , considerate and caring , courageous and strong , and responsible for what they say and do . They respect themselves and others and use resources wisely — all core to being a leader grounded in values .
In her office , Farley proudly displays her sash ( with badges front and back ), photos of her mom and sisters in Girl Scout uniforms , her Girl Scout handbooks and even her Brownie uniform . All are personal reminders of the importance of her Girl Scout experience and her dedication to giving girls throughout the region a similar advantage today .
6601 Elvas Ave ., Sacramento , CA 95819 916.452.9181 girlscoutshcc . org
co-parented her preteen daughter , who lived part time with her father on the East Coast . “ Then the pandemic hit , and I couldn ’ t physically get to my daughter ,” Makeda says . She decided to move back to Virginia . “ As much as I love being a female business owner in Sacramento , I have to be a mother first .”
For a while , Sabrina , who has a grown child of her own , was single-handedly managing the three shops . Makeda did operational work from afar but without her helping with the day-to-day work , Sabrina was getting burned out .
“ When you ’ re running three shops , you actually lose personal time without even being aware of it ,” Sabrina says . “ I ’ m intentionally claiming that back , and it feels great .”
After closing the city hall location when demand declined because of the pandemic , the sisters decided last year to focus on the J Street Mercy Medical Plaza location . They sold the East Sacramento flagship location , which is now called Tiferet by the Park , to two of their longtime employees .
“ It was time to pass it on to the most natural progression , which would be our employees who had been with us ,” Sabrina says . “ And we have two new female business owners , which is kind of exciting .”
The leader
Zima Creason has made a lot of adjustments to her work and personal life since 2020 . Less than a year into her role as executive director of California EDGE Coalition , the pandemic made it impossible for her to travel to the conferences and networking opportunities that she ’ d been attending nationwide to familiarize herself with the field . California EDGE coalition is a Sacramento-based organization that focuses on legislation and budget investments to address the skilled workforce shortage while creating pathways to the middle class , particularly among California ’ s marginalized communities .
“ It ’ s been really , really hard to build these relationships ,” says Creason , a Carmichael resident . “ All that professional development and learning … was ripped away really fast .”
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80 comstocksmag . com | March 2022