Team Spotlight: Meet Adrienne

Adrienne Livingston has 15 years of experience managing public relations and social media efforts for a wide range of companies. Now located in the Washington, D.C. area, Adrienne has lived around the world and has held roles in the transportation and hospitality industries. Adrienne started working for Kirkpatrick Group in 2021 and now brings her wealth of expertise to media relations, project management and internal communications for a variety of clients in high education, animal health and manufacturing. As a superwoman communicator, mother and friend, Adrienne shares her infectious joy and quick quips with everyone she meets. Let’s learn more about her background and her professional approach.

• What led you to a career in communications?

I’ve always been a talker. Initially, I thought I might be interested in broadcast journalism. When I realized how much writing I could do if I studied Public Relations (PR), I switched my major. I felt like PR was a more general field of study and I could do so many things with it. Blogs had just come onto the scene, and I was also interested in crisis communications and acting as a company spokesperson. I wanted a degree that could potentially take me down different paths if a traditional PR job didn’t work out, and I never wanted to do math ever again. 

• What do you think makes Kirkpatrick Group stand out in our field?

Kirkpatrick Group stands out because of our unique balance of give and take. We all respect the freedom we have in terms of our working hours, and we recognize how special that is. When it is time to work, we give 110% to our clients. If we were in a traditional corporate job, we would not have the flexibility to work the way that we do and balance the other things going on in our lives while still delivering the best thinking, ideas and work to our clients.

• What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Be real and be honest. I think you can always be smart and professional, but you have to realize that no matter what someone’s position or title is, they are still just people. Always bring a human element to your work. Ask yourself, “What would I do in this position? What kind of stories do I want to see?” Treat everyone like they are on a level playing field and don’t put clients on a pedestal. 

• What’s your favorite type of project to work on?

I enjoy project management and building out a timeline from start to finish. I like being able to see the full picture and follow up with people to get things done, acting as the liaison between a company and their partners. 

• Do you have a motto or favorite quote?

“This is your now, it’s not your forever.” I mostly use this when I am in a tough spot. When raising children and they won’t sleep through the night, or working on a really tough project that you want to be done with, just remember that this is your “now.” Whether it is 10 minutes or a year, it’s unlikely that things will be that way forever.

• What is one bucket list item you have completed?

Living overseas. I didn’t even have a passport until I got married. I made up for lost time by living in Singapore and Sydney and traveling internationally.

• What’s something—big or small—that you’re really good at?

I am a really good gift giver. I have a good memory, and I remember events and things people mention in passing and use those clues to find something unique for them.

• What is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled?

We went to a town called Labuan Bajo in Indonesia and everything about it was magical. It had white sand beaches, beautiful blue water, and the food was amazing.

• What’s one of your favorite memories from the past year?

After having my second child, I decided to start going back to the gym. I went to my first class and had this profound feeling that I was finally myself again. It was more mental than physical, but at that moment I felt like I was getting back a piece of myself that had been missing for four years.

• What’s your favorite movie?

My favorite movie of all time is The Devil Wears Prada. I will watch it anywhere, anytime it comes on.