How Empathy and Flexibility Engage Employees

Adrienne Alesandro is a student of leadership and passionate advocate for values-driven cultures. An award-winning communicator with over 20 years of experience, she focuses on integrated employee communications, employee engagement and morale, leadership development (she’s an ISTJ), and organizational change management, including M&A. Working in the Silicon Valley for the bulk of her career, Adrienne has built communication infrastructures from the ground up. She’s also partnered with executives and leadership teams at organizations including Adobe Systems, Intuit, and Palo Alto Networks to help create and sustain great places to work. Adrienne holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Redlands and an M.A. in Communication & Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Among other volunteering activities, she served for five years as a communication coach for the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Challenge and LOWkeynotes events. A California girl at heart, Adrienne now lives in the hill country outside of Austin, Texas with her husband, Cory; their two children, Jonathan and Ava; and two dogs, Dougal MacKenzie and Prudence (a Covid rescue). Her hobbies include reading, baking, traveling, and pursuing the perfect mojito.

Joanna is the director of Internal and CEO Communications for Cambia Health Solutions, a Northwest-based company dedicated to making health care simpler, better and more affordable for people and their families. She has been with Cambia’s communications team for more than a decade working in internal communications, executive communications, social media and public relations. Before Cambia, Joanna worked for the public relations and affairs agency, APCO Worldwide. She gets great joy from jargon-busting (feels so good!), working with leaders at all levels of an organization, and helping people tell their stories. Married to an Army parachute rigger, Joanna has spent the better part of her career working remotely (way before it was cool) and moving every few years to wherever the military sends her family. She currently resides near Nashville, Tennessee. Along the way, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Communications and Spanish from DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Her master’s degree is in Strategic Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.