Black History Month Interview Series

Meet Kendra Adams, Executive Assistant to the President & CEO at Bridgeway Capital Management

Kendra Adams is a certified and award-winning executive assistant. For the past 5 years at Bridgeway Capital Management, Kendra has strategically executed and managed a multiplicity of administrative tasks in support of her CEO, the Client Service and Marketing Team, as well as Finance and Talent. She continues to participate in educational seminars geared toward the advancement of administrative professionals and has been actively involved with the International Association of Administrative Professionals for 19 years. She currently serves as the Director of the IAAP Greater Houston Area Branch and is a member of the IAAP Certification Administration Committee. Kendra has earned the industry designation of Certified Administrative Professional with specialty in Organizational Management.

In 2018, Kendra and her CEO were honored to be contributors on the Executive & EA Roundtable discussion at the ELS Forum in Houston. Most recently, in 2019, Kendra and her executive were recipients of the inaugural IAAP Partnership Award, which is awarded to an Administrative Professional/Executive team that exemplifies strategic alignment and shares accountability.

Let’s get to know Kendra!

Tell us some fun facts about yourself.

I am an ordained minister and I come from a family of singers and musicians. I’m a self-published author of two books: Rescued by Love and Heaven on Earth Marriage: 30 Days of Empowerment.

I’m married to the love of my life, and we will celebrate 36 years of marriage on May 4, 2021. We have an adult son and daughter (both married), and I’m a “GiGi” to four beautiful grandchildren. My husband and I are marriage mentors. Together, we give of our time to provide faith-based premarital counseling, marriage enrichment, and mentorship to married couples. We serve as leaders of the marriage ministry at our church, and we volunteer at the Houston Pregnancy Help Center, where we teach premarital classes. In addition, we are founders of Heaven on Earth Marriage Ministry, a community-based ministry that encourages, enlightens, and empowers couples to have healthy marriage relationships.

My husband and I were featured in Essence online publication two years ago:

33 Married Couples That Prove Black Love Can Conquer the World

What do you LOVE about your role?

I genuinely love to serve. Knowing that I’m making a difference and positively impacting not just my team, but also the firm, is indeed rewarding. I like having autonomy to manage my day, and I love the variety of tasks and projects that keep me challenged. I appreciate the opportunities I have to learn, grow, and expand my skillset. It has been a wonderful journey to partner with a firm where I feel valued, respected, and supported.

In addition, it’s a joy to work at a firm that is aligned with my personal values as it relates to service and giving back to the community. Bridgeway is an amazing asset management firm that donates 50% of our profits to organizations that foster transformative change in the community and the world. The culture is one of a kind! As a partner at Bridgeway, it’s exciting to know that we are collectively making a difference to create an extraordinary future for our clients, colleagues, and the community.

Tell us about a defining moment in your personal and/or professional life.

I believe that I’ve had many defining moments in my career as an Administrative Professional. One that I’ll always remember happened in 2014. After having a wonderful career at a firm for 17 years, I was laid off. My department was relocating to Atlanta, and I didn’t have peace about the move, so I opted to receive a severance package. During the 6 months I was off, I wrote my first book and began to do meaningful volunteer work. I had no idea what my “next” would be, but I lived in the moment, pursuing what I knew to be part of my purpose. That following January in 2015, I received unfortunate news that a dear friend of mine (an EA) was on her way to work, suddenly collapsed, and died. After her death, I was asked to return to my former employer to fill her position. I would have visions of my friend asking me to please come back to assist her team, especially her wonderful executive, whom she loved dearly and had worked with for many years. I knew my return was greater than an opportunity to fill a role, but I was there to aid in ways of comfort, healing, and many times, prayer. It was a purposeful and defining moment in my career. Several months later, her executive retired, and the timing was absolutely perfect as I was offered the position I’m in today, just a couple of months later.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I’m most proud of my continuous pursuit of professional development. This is an important component of my personal growth and career plan. Taking out time to invest in professional development has been a game changer. Keeping myself challenged and taking on opportunities outside of my comfort zone have given me greater confidence and opened many doors.

What is the best career advice you’ve received? What is your favorite piece of advice to give?

I heard an EA speak at a seminar and she said, “If you don’t value your role as an Administrative Professional, no one else will.”

That statement has stayed with me my entire career. It changed me from being job-minded to career-minded. I began to see every assignment as a learning opportunity to increase my talents, skills, experience, and knowledge.

My favorite piece of advice to give to Administrative Professionals is to Network! Network! Network! Step outside of your comfort zone to meet people. This helps you to share experiences, expand your resources, increase your knowledge, and build connections that could be mutually beneficial, and in some cases, lead to lifelong friendships.

Is there a specific Black leader who inspires you? What do you admire about this individual and is there a quote you’d like to share?

There have been many African American leaders that have inspired me, but I’ll only mention one, Dr. Stacia Pierce. Many years ago, I attended several conferences and purchased many self-help books by Dr. Stacia, who is a success coach, speaker, and author. The resources and tools I’ve acquired from Dr. Stacia’s plethora of coaching material have been life-changing. Through her resources, I was introduced to the concept of creating vision boards, speaking affirmations, having mind-expanding experiences, and preparing for opportunities that did not yet exist. The motivation, knowledge, and insight that I received from my engagement with Dr. Stacia raised my level of expectation in every aspect of my life. She ignited a desire in me to dream BIG.

One of her quotes that I love is, “Information changes the seasons of your life.”

Is there a Black writer, podcast host, Black-owned business, or something else you’d like to spotlight?

As it relates to a Black-owned business, I’d like to spotlight my nephew, Greg Jones. He is the owner and operator of “What the Waffle” based in Cibolo, Texas. We are so proud of him.

If you are ever in the area, you must check out the delicious chicken and waffles! Greg is a retired veteran, and he’s known for giving back to the community, especially honoring veterans on what he calls, “Military Monday.”

 

What do you want others to know or remember as they celebrate Black History Month?

Never forget the love, life, legacy, and great sacrifice of those who have gone before us to pave the road to freedom and opportunities that we have today. I love this quote by Former First Lady Michelle Obama that states, “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”

I appreciate the many Black heroes that have gone before us to make a difference. I’m hopeful that the life I live is doing the same.