Graceland University Communications Gets a New Look

The Graceland University Communications Office is getting a new look. Shane Adams, an 18-year marketing and communications veteran, has been named director of communications. Brooke Sutherland will take on the role of associate director of communications, where she will continue to support the university’s social media presence and work closely with Adams. Sutherland has served as communications specialist for Graceland since 2013.

Adams is no stranger to “the Hill.” He graduated magna cum laude from Graceland in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Business Administration. Adams has led marketing and social media campaigns for major companies such as Cerner Corporation, AMC Theatres and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

“I am excited to welcome Shane as the director of communications,” said Scott Briell, vice president for enrollment management. “Shane brings a wealth of experience in marketing, communications and social media engagement to our in-house communications team, which will help further our efforts in sharing the Graceland story.”

Following graduation from Graceland, Adams worked as an interactive designer at Perceptive Software, where he learned early on how to multitask. As the young company grew, Adams adapted to various roles in writing, event coordinating and interactive design.

Adams then pursued a position as marketing specialist for SunBridge Capital, where he planned and executed marketing projects as their marketing team lead and served as technology liaison between marketing and development. From there, he went on to initiate and drive social media engagement for the annual Cerner Health Conference, lead cross-functional efforts to rearchitect and redesign the website for AMC Theatres, help establish voice and tone for AMC’s industry-leading social media channels, lead Chipotle’s social care team to directly engage customers through a nationwide food-safety crisis, and grow PKD Foundation’s web traffic by over 25 percent and social impressions by over 200 percent year-over-year.

He has also owned a successful photography business with his wife, Alli, since 2005. A multi-generational alumnus, Adams and his wife met at Graceland, where his parents also met and his dad worked for many years. Adams is passionate about Graceland University and is eager to give back to the place that has already given him so much.

Adams will work out of both the Lamoni and Independence campuses effective Nov. 19.