Adeline Medeiros

Strategist, Community Builder, Leader

I am a social worker, nonprofit executive, ethical leadership expert, and anti-racist community organizer with a passion for making social change work more effective. My strength lies in helping organizations move from abstract vision to concrete action, creating positive impact that benefits us all in the process.

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From 2022-2025, I served as the founding Executive Director of The Children’s Storefront, a first-of-its-kind, free play-and-learn center in Harlem, New York that provides coaching to caregivers and equips them with tools to build their baby’s brains in the first 1,000 days of life, creating a strong foundation for lifelong success. After a multi-year hiatus, I rebuilt this 60-year-old organization from the ground up — developing new systems and policies; hiring and nurturing a full team; designing a bespoke program and curriculum; building out, opening, and operating a community center; doubling the size of the Board of Directors; increasing contributions by 91% and building a network of funder relationships; and more. By the end of my tenure, the Storefront had become a model nonprofit with prestigious partnerships, a fully-booked, stellar program with waitlists that confirmed our community’s investment, and a strong foundation to support the next several decades of growth.

In mid-2025, I stepped down from leading the Storefront to take a sabbatical, during which I am focusing on new creative pursuits including co-authoring a forthcoming textbook on ethical social work practice. I am also offering nonprofit consultation services on a case-by-case basis.

Please feel free to reach out with any interesting opportunities in the areas of organizational development, team culture, operations, crisis management, ethical leadership development, and community building.

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Previously, I was the Borough Director for Power of Two, a nonprofit that interrupts intergenerational cycles of poverty and trauma by supporting strong bonds between parents and children. I’ve also served as the Associate Director of Community at 100Kin10, where I strategized + innovated in community with stakeholders to strengthen STEM education in America, and as the Associate Director of Civic Engagement at Barnard College, where I cultivated social justice efforts on campus in partnership with students. I'm the Founder of social impact consulting agency ideaRISE, an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University’s School of Social Work, and a recipient of the Emerging Social Work Leader Award.