ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, LIFE COACH, MENTOR

Shuronda is a fourth-generation entrepreneur whose family operates an African American weekly newspaper in Houston. It is there that she gained a passion for communications and the power of the story. Since founding Adisa Communications in 1995, the firm has garnered a reputation for creative professionalism by providing a full spectrum of communications and community relations services. Meaning “one who makes himself clear,” Adisa Communications offers its clients in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio and internationally using an array of creative and intuitive communication solutions. 

In January of 2023, Shuronda took the helm of Austin Woman as their first African American CEO. She leads a team of journalists, designers and sales account executives who focus on building the ecosystem for women’s empowerment.  

For nearly three decades, Shuronda has helped policymakers improve decision-making processes and implement successful multimillion-dollar social services, transportation, planning, infrastructure, and public affairs programs throughout Texas.  

For Austin ISD, Shuronda has led community engagement strategies to be more inclusive. Her work with the district spans 25 years. 

Her private sector clients also rely on her level-headed approach to public relations and include Frost Bank, Lenovo, and Wal-Mart. She enjoys taking on the more interesting and complex projects – often saying, “Call me after you’ve made all of the easy decisions!” She remains active in her community through many groups - from the Boys & Girls Clubs to the Zachary Scott Theater — and along with a college buddy, started Austin’s City-Wide MLK Celebrations, which has grown crowds of more than 20,000 annually. She served on the Austin Foundation for Architecture for eight years and a PBS Austin Board of Directors Alumni.  

Community activism and an interest in politics came early for this public relations professional. She is the daughter of a union organizer and walked her first picket line in the 2nd grade. She attended the Equal Rights Amendment March in Washington, DC, as a child, and that’s where she came to understand the power of people working collectively towards a shared vision. In college, Shuronda served on the national board of the Children’s Defense Fund Black Community Crusade for Children where she instituted a program to train black college students to organize summer educational enrichment programs around the summer food programs. Called Summer Freedom Schools currently, this program serves more than 15,000 poor kids in 29 states annually.  

In a volunteer capacity, Shuronda leads the Black Leaders Collective. She works constantly with leaders from the Black community to empower them and help them build thriving organizations.  

After serving as a field representative and communications director for the Service Employees International Union working for Cecile Richards, Shuronda actively participated in statewide and local politics. She served as a statewide field representative for Governor Ann Richards and as campaign manager for Sheryl Cole at the 2011 Austin City Council election. She volunteered to help coalesce black elected officials in Travis County to address issues of education, employment, and public safety in the early 2000s. She chaired the 2014 and 2016 Austin Trailblazers event presented by the Black Austin Democrats Political Action Committee, raising more than $100 thousand and engaging more than 600 Black women. She is a former board member of the Black Austin Democrats and served as the Vice-Chair of Programs for the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats. While serving at the Coalition, she created statewide programs to engage members and raise money for the organization. 

She is currently working with corporate and community leaders to solve the local homelessness crisis. As the Vice President of Finding Home ATX, she leads the collaborative efforts between community and service providers and supports communications. In 2022, they raised $480 million to help scale the response to the homelessness crisis. 

She believes her role is to create more beauty and peace on the planet, and she brings that perspective to every endeavor.  

Awards and Recognitions 

• Executive of the Year Finalist, DivInc 2024  

• Humanitarian Awards, AAYHF, 2023 

• Executive of the Year Finalist, DivInc 2023 

• Key to the City 2023 presented by Mayor Steve Adler 

• NAACP-Austin Chapter, Dewitty Overton Award Recipient, 2022 

• Honorary Member, Women In Transportation Seminar, 2022 

• Woman of the Year, Austin Woman’s Magazine, 2020 

• Texas Coalition of Black Democrats President’s Award, 2018 

• Small Business of the Year, Greater Black Austin Chamber of Commerce, 2015 

• Emerging Leader Award from the Black Austin Democrats, 2014 

• Rosa Parks Diversity Award, Women In Transportation Seminar, Heart of Texas Chapter, 2013 

• Outstanding Volunteer, YMCA of Austin, 2002 

Shuronda lives in Austin, Texas, and is the proud mother of three young men, two of whom serve in the US Navy and Army.