Gillian Zettler
Founder of G. Zettler Collective
A non-profit executive and creator economy leadership veteran, Gillian Zettler is currently Founder of G. Zettler Collective, a consultancy located in Mt. Pleasant, SC. offering executive-level strategy and fractional C-Suite support. Zettler began her professional career in radio which would foray into an A&R role with Universal Music Group, creating opportunities, buzz, and impact for an array of recording artists. In her next role as Director of Events for The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, she led operations and teams that garnered accolades and increased revenue. As Executive Director for Euphoria, Greenville, South Carolina’s food, wine and music festival, she led teams and operations that boosted revenue and built the festival’s national reputation.
Gillian has a storied career in leadership spanning a variety of industries - hospitality, music, retail, wellness, experiential, and nonprofits. As the Executive Director & CEO of Charleston Wine + Food for nearly a decade—she flexed her creative and business acumen designing more than 200 programs and events annually. She catapulted festival ticket sales, grew the organizational budget to $10MM+ and increased profits, and sponsorship revenue year over year—despite a global pandemic which halted the multi-day event for well over a season. During her tenure Charleston Wine + Food was named one of the top five wine + food festivals in the US by Forbes Traveler and solidified a first-of-its-kind partnership with NBC’s TODAY, culminating in a multi-day, on-site syndicated broadcast.
Additionally, Zettler has served as a Professor of Events Management at the College of Charleston, a member of CHIEF, lululemon Ambassador, and mentor for the College of Charleston’s prestigious Schottland Scholars Program. A devoted mother of two (Ethan and Liv), and partner to her husband, Spencer, Gillian loves to travel and is cultivating that same love in her children. As both a Master Spin Instructor and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) she begins every morning on a yoga mat or in the Cycle studio.