Spelman Alumna Adrianne C. Smith Turns Determination into Global Impact

From a childhood dream of Spelman to building global platforms for inclusion, Adrianne Smith has built a career centered on recognizing opportunity and creating space for voices too often left out of the conversation.

Long before Adrianne Smith stepped onto Spelman College’s campus, she had already decided she belonged there. Smith was seven years old when her older brother, a Morehouse student, brought home his yearbook. Inside its glossy pages was a photograph that captured her imagination: an 8-by-10 portrait of Miss Maroon and White, Morehouse’s campus queen. 

“I asked him who she was,” Smith recalls. “He told me the only way you could have that picture in the yearbook was if you went to Spelman.” For Smith, that decision was immediate.  “I said, done. I’m going to Spelman.”  

Determination Opens the Door 
Years later, Smith applied to only one college—Spelman. But a clerical mistake nearly ended the dream before it began. Her high school counselor submitted an incomplete transcript, omitting key test score documentation from her application. Without the full materials, Spelman could not review her file. 

By the time the issue surfaced, Smith was told the application deadline had passed, and the incoming class was already full. Instead of accepting the answer, she searched for another path forward. A counselor told her that a member of Spelman’s Board of Trustees would soon be speaking in Marshall, Texas, in the same city as her high school.  

“No one comes to Marshall, Texas,” said Smith. “It is a very small town.” 

She attended the event, waited until the talk concluded, and introduced herself. Smith explained her situation and her lifelong dream of attending Spelman. 

“She told me to write a letter to the college’s president, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, said Smith. 

Smith did exactly that. Two weeks later, a letter arrived. 

Welcome to Spelman College.  For Smith, the moment confirmed something she would carry with her throughout the rest of her life. 

“Determination creates opportunities where none appear to exist,” said Smith.  

When the Dream Comes True 
At Spelman, Smith quickly immersed herself in campus life. She joined the Student Government Association, served as co-social chair, and became deeply engaged in the leadership and community experiences that define the Spelman environment. Along the way, she began building relationships and leadership skills that would shape her professional journey. 

Then, during her junior year, her childhood dream came full circle. Smith ran for Miss Maroon and White, securing her place in the yearbook she had first seen as a young girl. But the achievement came with an unexpected lesson. 

Balancing the responsibilities of the role alongside academic demands proved difficult. That semester became the most challenging of her college career—her grades dropped, and for the first time she faced academic failure. The experience forced her to rethink how she defined success. 

“I had to learn about balance and priorities,” said Smith. “You can achieve something you dreamed of, but if you’re not managing everything else, you still have work to do.”  

Rather than derailing her ambitions, the experience strengthened them. Smith rebounded, finishing her degree and leaving Spelman with a new understanding of resilience and clarity of purpose. 

The Catalyst: Exposure to Opportunity 
Smith graduated from Spelman as an English major, equipped with the critical thinking, communication, and storytelling skills that would later become central to her career. But just as important were the opportunities she encountered through Spelman’s career development ecosystem. Through internships and campus recruiting experiences from the Office of Career Planning & Development, Smith discovered an industry she had never previously considered: advertising. 

Her first role came through a campus interview opportunity with the global advertising agency Leo Burnett in Chicago. There, she worked as a media buyer and planner, helping determine where and how national advertising campaigns would appear across media platforms. Just as important as the work itself was what Smith saw around her. 

For the first time, she could clearly envision what advancement looked like. Within the organization were several Black women serving as media supervisors, associate directors, and department leaders—visible proof that leadership in the industry was possible. 

“I could see the path,” Smith says. “I could see what was possible for me.”  

Recognizing the Gap 
Over the next two decades, Smith built a career across media, advertising, and communications—often working with Black-owned companies and entrepreneurial ventures that sought to expand representation in the industry. 

A pattern began to emerge. Again and again, Smith noticed opportunities that had been overlooked: platforms that lacked representation, audiences that were underserved, and industries that had yet to fully recognize the value of diverse voices. 

Rather than simply identifying these gaps, Smith built solutions. She launched ventures, helped expand access to Black media platforms, and eventually began working at the intersection of communications, culture, and inclusion. But it was a trip to one of the advertising industry’s most prestigious events that would crystallize her next major initiative. 

Building Access on the Global Stage 
In 2017, Smith attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, widely considered the global creative industry’s most influential gathering. 

What she saw was striking.  Out of roughly 20,000 attendees, only about 200 were Black. The festival celebrated culture and creativity heavily influenced by Black communities, yet many of the creators themselves were absent from the room. Instead of simply criticizing the gap, Smith began building a pathway to address it. 

"When I first attended Cannes, I noticed the absence of cultural community spaces where diverse leaders could convene meaningfully," said Smith. "The same was true in Davos during the World Economic Forum week. Instead of simply navigating the system as it was, I asked: What if we built what was missing?  I also wanted to move the conversation centered around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from “Woe is Me to Wow is Me!”

Through the Cannes CAN: Diversity Collective, she created a program designed to expand access to the festival and connect underrepresented creatives with global industry leaders. At the center of the initiative was Inkwell Beach, a convening space for networking, mentorship, and dialogue among creatives, executives, and emerging talent. 

"Creating Inkwell Beach at Cannes and Davos wasn’t about protest; it was about possibility. I wasn’t just asking for access. I was demonstrating value. When you redesign systems, you have to think like both an insider and an architect. You must understand the rules and then have the creativity to rewrite them in ways that expand opportunity for others. That mindset is rooted in abundance, not scarcity."

What began with just a handful of participants has grown into a globally recognized platform.  Today, the initiative brings students, early-career professionals, and industry leaders from around the world into spaces where the future of media and creativity is shaped. Industry publications, including Forbes, have highlighted Smith’s work as a significant effort to expand representation and opportunity within the global creative sector. 

 The Spelman Thread 
Looking back, Smith sees a clear thread connecting her journey—from the young girl studying a yearbook photo to the executive helping reshape global creative industries. 

Each step built on the next. The determination that led her to Spelman. The lessons learned through leadership and failure. The exposure to industries she had never previously imagined. 
And the relationships and mentorship that helped open doors along the way. 

Today, as Chief Inclusion and Impact Officer at FleishmanHillard and founder of the CAN: Diversity Collective, Smith continues doing what she has done throughout her career: identifying gaps and creating pathways for others. Her work reflects something deeply embedded in the Spelman experience—the belief that leadership is not simply about occupying spaces, but about expanding them.  Cannes Can: Diversity Collective began as an idea rooted in visibility and access. Inkwell Beach became a physical manifestation of belonging and influence, on the Croisette in Cannes and on the mountaintop in Davos.

Sometimes, it begins with a dream. And sometimes, it begins with a picture in a yearbook. 

“I’ve always viewed every role, every client, every leadership opportunity as a masterclass,” said Smith. “You build on it, and it prepares you for what comes next.”