The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Melanie Adams

Melanie is a Senior Manager at Eagle Hill Consulting, overseeing six active projects and a team of 10 people. In her role, Melanie manages buyer relationships, identifies and pursues new business development opportunities, ensures high-quality client delivery, and engages team members across projects. She has played a pivotal role in driving rapid growth of Eagle Hill's nonprofit sector over her four and a half years with the firm, leading large teams to implement complex projects at four priority accounts. While Melanie is a generalist, she has extensive expertise in change management, communications, project management, and training—particularly in the talent space. Melanie is a graduate of Tufts University, where she completed her Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Communication, Interventions, and Behavior Change. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Food Systems from the University of Michigan and enjoys cooking, working out, playing with her dog Remy, and traveling in her spare time.

What would you say has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

I listen to people—I think half of consulting is really hearing what your clients are asking for and coming up with a solution that meets that need. I also have an obsessive attention to detail that my clients love and many of the people on my team probably find annoying!

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

I love that I get to work with people (both colleagues and clients) that are collaborative, creative, and passionate about what they do. Solving problems on a daily basis and always having new projects to work on makes the day-to-day enjoyable.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Becoming an Account Lead and helping to grow the account from one project with a 2-person team to more than 16 projects with 20+ team members over a two-year period.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Two things—1) ask good questions and 2) if you want to win good work in the future, do good work now.

What does this recognition mean to you?

Being recognized as a rising star is validation that the work I do every day matters and that I am able to make an impact on the clients that I serve and my firm at large.