ABOUT STEFANIE

“I help LEADERS and NEXT GEN LEADERS build positive workplace culture with human-centric leadership strategies and cheer!”

Stefanie AKA the “Corporate Cheerleader”, is a speaker, author, and former elected official that specializes in key areas today’s leaders find most challenging: building and leading high-impact teams, developing first time and frontline managers, implementing human-centric leadership, and engaging multigenerational workforces.

Armed with over 20 years experience in education, HR, and elected office, coupled with contagious positive energy, practical leadership strategies, and pom poms, Stefanie transforms teams and workplace culture.

A woman dressed in a white suit holding teal pom-poms, standing in a modern building lobby with large windows and a tiled floor.

Stefanie launched WNY People Development in February 2020 after building leadership competencies as an educational consultant for Johns Hopkins University, leadership roles in student services, workforce development, and HR with Cape Fear Community College, migrated into the corporate sector with Castlebranch (now DISA Healthcare Technology), and served one term on her local Board of Education navigating the Covid pandemic as Board Chair. Utilizing her diverse and unique leadership and development experiences, she wanted to provide highly engaging, interactive, and customizable options, not as a “trainer”, but as a facilitator of information, guiding leaders and emerging leaders though simple strategies, data, reflection, honest conversations, and fun. 

In 2024, she published CheerLEADERship: Strategies to Build and Support Human Centric Workplaces for the Future with Amplify Publishing, sharing practical leadership strategies and stories though the lens of a cheerleading analogy. Stefanie is a 15 year cheerleader, and 5 year coach; cheering for others comes naturally to her. Voila, with the release of her book, the Corporate Cheerleader was born! CheerLEADERship was awarded the prestigious Goody Business Book Award in the Leadership-HR and Employee Development category.

Stefanie’s insights have been shared in publications including HR Executive, Leader to Leader (Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum) and WILMA; she has been featured on various national podcasts including Lead the People and Bringing the Human Back to HR. Her greatest fulfillment comes from being invited to spark leadership innovation, speaking in rooms across the United States about how to create positive work culture with human-centric strategies.

Stefanie earned an M.Ed. in Multicultural Education in 2008; her professional affiliations include SHRM, Association Executives of North Carolina, and the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce. Her days are fueled by coffee, chocolate, yoga, new challenges, building relationships, and she firmly believes work doesn’t have to suck, and that building great leaders is the key. Her passions are developing others, serving the community, soaking in the sun at the beach, Philly sports, travel, managing the chaos that comes with life, and kitchen dancing. She currently resides outside of Indianapolis, IN with her husband, son, and two goofy rescue dogs. 

A group of five people on stage at a conference, three women and two men, are participating in a discussion or activity. A woman in a blue suit holds a microphone, and behind her is a large screen displaying a presentation slide titled 'INSPIRE Volunteers' with bullet points. The stage has a black skirt and a white table with some items. The background includes a beige wall with moldings, and an 'EXIT' sign is visible above the stage.
A woman in a teal top and black skirt is giving a presentation to a group of people seated at a conference table. The woman is gesturing with her hands and appears to be speaking. There are bottles of water, a cup, and documents on the table. A large screen behind her displays a slide with the word "DISCUSSION." The room has beige walls, a window, and wooden trim.
A group of women and a person in costume posing together indoors, some holding books and pom-poms, celebrating in a circle around a table with a plant.
A family of three posing at a football stadium, wearing Philadelphia Eagles apparel, with the field and other spectators in the background.
A woman in a teal blazer giving a presentation on stage with an audience raising their hands.
A woman with blonde hair and glasses standing in front of a screen, gesturing with her arms spread wide during a presentation or speech in a room with large windows, curtains, and a chandelier. The scene is being recorded or photographed with a camera, which is visible in the foreground.
A conference room with a large screen displaying a presentation titled 'Leading Across Generations.' The audience is seated at tables, and two cheerleaders with pom-poms are performing in front of the room.
A woman wearing glasses and a yellow blazer smiling and posing with arms outstretched in front of a backdrop with the SHRM logo and the words 'New Orleans' repeated multiple times.
Book cover of "Cheerleader Ship" by Stefanie Adams. The cover features a megaphone with the title written inside it. The background is dark blue with rays emanating from the megaphone. The subtitle reads, "Strategies to Build and Support Human-Centric Workplaces for the Future."

BUY STEFANIE’S BOOK

CHEERLEADERSHIP: Strategies to Build and Support Human-Centric Workplaces for the Future

BUY THE BOOK
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