Hi, I'm Adrian.

My goal in everything I do is to use my skills as a strategist and communicator to shape and shift culture.

Throughout my career, I've partnered with the C-suite as an intrapreneur who can catalyze teams across functions to enhance employee experience and drive business growth.

Some Highlights

Internal/External Reputation Turnaround

Arriving at Grey after a merger and several unexpected leadership departures, I focused on restoring employee pride.

Through a cadence of transparent communications and programming centered on business objectives and belonging, my efforts helped transform agency culture in under 18 months.

As a result, Grey was recognized with Agency of the Year and Global Most Loved Workplace honors.

Culture Change at Scale

At The New York Times, my work helped increase employee engagement (+20% YoY):

• Scaled the first companywide employee mentorship program from one department to presence in 19 countries, producing higher promotion rates for participants.
• Led the communications strategy to provide on-demand professional coaching to 4,700 employees worldwide.
• Advised the inaugural diversity and inclusion report, which has now been published annually since 2017.

Navigating Controversial Topics

Amidst external social and political crises, I have helped executives create thoughtful messages for their teams. I've also established feedback loops for leaders and employees to maintain constructive dialogue.

Consulting

With this track record for impact, I now offer consulting for leaders looking to transform their organizations' internal culture. As the founder of a new firm called Stokes Lane, my specialties include:

• Scalable programs for high engagement and high performance: Mentorship; Coaching; Social impact partnerships
• Editorial strategy and training for internal comms: All-hands meetings; "Ask Me Anything" forums; Community guidelines for Slack and Microsoft Teams

Career Coaching

I love helping others thrive in their careers by shaping their stories for cover letters, resumes, and LinkedIn.

I've coached ~200 professionals for The Muse and reached many more with career advice writing syndicated to outlets like TIME and Forbes.

Book a session with me

Inspired By…

Creativity in all its forms.

In 2023, I was appointed lead External Affairs on the Board of Directors of Artistic Noise, a Harlem-based nonprofit that empowers court-involved youth through art-making.

I'm also experimenting with a fashion project called Trophe.

Let’s connect!

Photo by Ira James