Advocacy Has No Age Limit

Advocacy starts as the moment you decide not to stay silent. 

In this Student-Led Conversations episode of Accounting ARC, host Arpan Grewal frames advocacy as more than politics. For her, it lives in classrooms, families, and local communities—anywhere young people decide a topic matters too much to ignore. 

Her guest, E. ZeNai Savage, CPA, proves that point. Savage leads across multiple spaces: she founds The Savage Advantage, a consulting firm that provides outsourced controller services, budget development, and governance support to nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. She also builds a public platform through Blurred Lines, where she rejects the idea that people must separate their faith, profession, and community work. 

Representation and licensure reforms change who gets to sit at the table.
As a Black woman CPA in a profession where Black CPAs remain a small fraction of license holders, Savage quickly noticed who was missing from the room. That awareness pushed her to join organizations such as NABA and the Indiana CPA Society, and ultimately to serve in leadership roles that help reshape the pipeline into the profession.  

One of her proudest wins is working with the Indiana CPA Society on efforts to create multiple pathways to licensure, allowing candidates to sit for the exam with 120 credit hours instead of requiring a costly 150-hour path as the only option. Research and member feedback suggests that the added time and cost disproportionately affect first-generation students and underrepresented groups, without clear evidence that it improves exam pass rates or job performance. The collaborative efforts aim to reduce financial and structural barriers. 

Politics becomes personal when you follow the money.
Savage explains that she did not grow up planning to “be a politician.”  

She observed funding gaps firsthand: grassroots organizations and women- and minority-owned businesses received less support than their peers, especially during the pandemic.  

“Who is deciding where the money goes?” she asks. “And why does it look so unequal across communities?”

That curiosity eventually led her to run for Indiana State Auditor at the urging of local leaders who saw her blend of CPA skills and community credibility. Even though she did not win the race, she built coalitions across 30-plus counties and later served in statewide party leadership, proving advocacy can happen inside and outside elected office.  

Mentorship, “failing forward,” and the power of a personal brand.
For students, Savage’s most practical advice is deceptively simple: get involved. Join at least one organization, show up consistently, and take mentors up on their offers to help. She urges students not to limit themselves to mentors who look like them—some of her most helpful guides are older white men who share hard-earned corporate insight. 

She also speaks candidly about failing parts of the CPA exam, learning to “fail forward,” and rebuilding her study habits as a mid-career professional—lessons she now channels into speaking, writing, and executive coaching. 

For Savage, a personal brand is not just a color palette or Instagram grid. It is the consistent way people experience you—online, in meetings, and in the community. That brand now includes recognition as a Forbes Best-in-State CPA and a Forty Under 40 honoree, highlighting the impact of her blended career in accounting, advocacy, and civic leadership.  

Advocacy is a team sport, not a solo performance.
Savage and Grewal agree that advocacy is not reserved for elected officials. It shows up in board service, student clubs, church ministries, neighborhood coalitions, and professional bodies that quietly change policy. They remind listeners that using your voice and finding community are nonnegotiable if you want to make a difference. Advocacy can start with one question—“Why is it this way?”—and grow into a career that blurs the lines between who you are and where you serve.  

🎧 Listen now to the full episode to explore how perception, storytelling, and emotion drive what we pay—and why.

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