Adrienne Santaularia has been the Communications Director for The 24 since September 2017, but now she begins her new role as Development Director. She will be responsible for fundraising and events. Adrienne lives in East Dallas with her husband, Joe, and their dogs, Chase and Goose.
1. What led you to this career? I kind of fell into working for The 24. I received my Bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communications from The University of Kansas and began my career in events in Dallas. After a few years of working events on nights/weekends, I moved to a sales role for events and promotional products, which I quickly found I didn’t enjoy. I really enjoy building relationships with individuals rather than selling a particular product. I resigned from that job in August 2017, because it wasn't a fit for me. I’ve known Marsha for a few years outside of The 24. Her youngest son, Kirk, is a childhood best friend with my husband, Joe. Marsha heard that I wasn’t working and asked if I could help with the 2017 Dallas All Star Chef Classic, along with some admin duties. It took about a month before Marsha realized I was more skilled in Communications, so I came on as the Communications Director. And here we are almost 5 years later!
2. What was your first job? I worked for a boutique called Dancer’s Nook. Growing up, I danced Ballet – roughly 15 hours per week in high school – so this job was perfect for me. I would help girls find dance clothes, fit into their dance shoes, etc. I loved the store!
3. What energizes you at work? Witnessing recovery for our Residents. If I’m ever feeling uninspired or unmotivated, I take a quick stroll through our building and stop to talk to a Resident or newcomer. They always energize and excite me to continue doing the work.
4. What are you currently excited about in your new position? I’m thrilled to build relationships with our current and new donors. I’m familiar with most of our donors from the past 5 years, but I’m excited to get to know them better. I really enjoy being around people!
5. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about helping individuals in our community whether it's helping someone get off the streets, helping in recovery or just helping a neighbor with something in their home. This is my community and where I live, so I want to do my part to make it welcoming and safe for everyone.
6. How do you like to spend your time outside of work? My husband, Joe, is my absolute best friend, so he is who I enjoy spending time with. In the evenings, we will make dinner, then sit in our living room and talk about our day, our week ahead, etc. On Saturday mornings, we always go for long walks. We will walk to a coffee shop – usually Window Seat on Greenville – then walk to the Katy Trail, then walk somewhere for lunch. We make a day of it!
7. What is one thing you are learning now or learned recently? I have been learning Spanish! I took Spanish classes in high school and college, but I didn’t keep up with it. A few months ago, I started practicing on the Duolingo app. My goal is to be able to converse by the end of the year. My husband is fluent, so I want to be able to converse with him and use it on our travels abroad.
8. What is something you saw recently that made you laugh? I played bags/cornhole with some of our staff and community members during our June Steak Night. It was such a fun time! I don’t think they expected me to be so good at the game. Ha!
9. If you had to pick one age to be permanently, which age would you choose? My favorite age so far has been my mid-30’s. I’m also excited for my 40’s. Life literally just keeps getting better!
10. What is the top destination on your must-visit list? I want to sail from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro. My husband and I traveled to Split and Hvar, Croatia in 2018 and LOVED it. I want to see Montenegro, but I want to see if from the water!
Adrienne can be contacted via email at adrienne@dallas24hourclub.org.