Adrienne Chance
Chief Communications Officer | Career Coach | Author
Where every story is a chance for good.
How It All Started
In elementary school, I volunteered at a library.
In middle school, I created my own online magazine that earned thousands of subscribers.
In high school, I realized what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I took a marketing class, heard about public relations for the first time and thought: that is exactly it. I found the University of Florida's top-ranked PR program, convinced my parents to let me go and spent the next four years completing intense internship programs — including one at Southwest Airlines that led to my first job, but only after they rejected me first. I wrote them back to make my case. They loved my "Warrior Spirit" and hired me.
The willingness to build my own entrance has defined my entire career.
I have spent 20 years at the intersection of communications, business strategy and people — shaping how organizations show up in the world and helping the people inside them understand why their work matters. I have led communications at Topgolf, Borden Dairy and SpartanNash, guiding each through periods of rapid growth, transformation and genuine crisis.
I have also been doing all of this while raising three young children, including twins. The energy, strategic foresight and operational complexity required to balance a busy life at home and at work has made me a more effective and empathetic leader.
If you are juggling a demanding career, big ambitions and a full life at home, we will have plenty to talk about.
The Work
I most recently served as SVP and Chief Communications Officer at SpartanNash, a Fortune 400 food solutions company, where I led enterprise communications strategy for nearly five years. In that time, I directed communications for a $1.77 billion merger, led a cultural transformation that reduced employee turnover by 40 percent, and served as Executive Director of the SpartanNash Foundation.
Before SpartanNash, I served as Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Borden Dairy Company, where I rebuilt the communications function and led company communications through COVID and Chapter 11 bankruptcy — while six months pregnant. And before that, I spent six years building Topgolf's global communications function from scratch, from a handful of venues to an IPO-ready global lifestyle brand.
My expertise spans crisis and issues management, executive and C-suite communications, employer brand and culture strategy, ESG and investor storytelling, and internal communications. I have managed reputations in the best and worst of times — building teams, developing leaders and navigating every kind of stakeholder, from employees to boards to activist investors to national media and beyond.
I am currently exploring my next Chief Communications Officer opportunity while building Chance for Good. If you are looking for a CCO, I would love to connect.
Education & Development:
BS, Public Relations
University of Florida
Leadership Coaching Strategies Certificate
Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Finance for Senior Executives Certificate
Harvard Business School
Innovator's DNA: Mastering Five Skills for Disruptive Innovation Certificate
MIT Sloan School of Management
Leadership Development
Disney Institute
Good to Great Lab
NYT Bestselling Author Jim Collins
Recognition:
40 Gators Under 40, University of Florida (2025)
Top Women in Communications, Ragan (2024)
Top Woman in Grocery, Progressive Grocer (2022)
Women of Influence, The Shelby Report (2021)
Top Woman in PR, PR News (2017)
Digital Visionary Award, Facebook (2017)
Industry Leadership:
Trustee, Institute for Public Relations
Member, Arthur W. Page Society
Vice Chair of Marketing, Junior Achievement of Michigan Great Lakes
In the News
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How I got here: SpartanNash SVP Adrienne Chance on overcoming obstacles
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Free workshop for Grand Rapids corporate job seekers
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How SpartanNash Defines, Celebrates Culture
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Behind the Bell: SpartanNash
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SpartanNash Advances Communications Exec
Why I coach.
I have spent years on the hiring side of the table, and I have also been the candidate. I know how disorienting and stressful a job search can feel.
After years of watching talented, capable people struggle to translate their value into opportunity, I realized the gap almost always came down to the same thing: they had never been taught how to tell their story, position their value or build the kind of entrance that gets them into the room.
I work with clients one-on-one to help them find the clarity, confidence and strategy to make their next move.
Where every story is a chance for good.
