About ADEL People + Strategy
We believe great organizations are built on great people strategies.
ADEL People + Strategy was founded on a simple conviction: that HR done well is not a cost center — it's a competitive advantage.
Our founder
Stacey Ortiz
Founder & Senior HR Executive | People Strategy · Organizational Design · Talent Management
Stacey Ortiz is a strategic HR leader with 20 years of experience building people functions for fast-paced, multi-unit retail and hospitality brands. She has partnered with executive leadership and private equity ownership to design organizations, build performance and compensation infrastructure, and drive measurable gains in retention and engagement.
Her career spans some of the most recognized names in retail and consumer brands — Chip City Cookies, Pandora, Party City, Ann Taylor, Gap, and Kate Spade — where she led talent acquisition, HR business partnering, and organizational design at scale, including recruitment strategy across 450+ North American locations.
Stacey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Albany and brings a data-driven, people-first approach to every engagement. She founded ADEL People + Strategy to bring the same caliber of HR leadership that enterprise brands rely on to growing companies that need it most.
Career highlights
Built at the intersection of people and performance.
Senior Director, Human Resources
Redesigned the org structure, built the company's first performance review process and compensation banding, reduced turnover by 10%, and increased employee tenure by 15% within one year — partnering directly with private equity owner EHI.
Director, HR Business Partnering & Director, Talent Acquisition — North America
Led HR strategy across retail and wholesale channels, mentored a team of 5 regional HRBPs, and drove recruitment for 450+ owned, operated, and franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada.
Director, Talent Acquisition & Programs
Built a best-in-class talent function for a multichannel retailer spanning corporate, retail, supply chain, and manufacturing — owning executive search, vendor management, and succession planning.
Director, Talent Acquisition
Led the Talent Acquisition Center of Excellence for Ascena's premium segment, developing strategic recruitment processes and partnering with executives on long-term talent strategy and organizational design.
Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition
Managed full-cycle recruitment across Marketing, Creative, HR, Finance, Design, Merchandising, and E-Commerce at two iconic global brands, leading CRM implementation and process improvements.
Our philosophy
Partnership over prescription.
We don't arrive with a pre-packaged playbook. Every organization is different — its culture, its stage, its challenges, its people. We start by listening. We ask the hard questions. We dig into what's actually happening, not just what's visible on the surface. Then we build strategies that fit your reality, not a template.
People first, always
Every strategy we build starts with the humans at the center of it. We design for real people, not org charts.
Honest partnership
We tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. That's what real partnership looks like.
Practical over perfect
We build strategies that can actually be executed — by your team, in your context, with your resources.
Results that last
We measure success by what changes after we leave — not by the quality of the deck we delivered.
How we work
Embedded partners, not outside advisors.
Listen & diagnose
We start every engagement by understanding your business, your people, and your challenges — before we recommend anything.
Design together
We co-create strategies with your team, not for them. Your context shapes every recommendation we make.
Build & embed
We stay with you through implementation, ensuring strategies take root and your team has the capability to sustain them.
Let's work together
Ready to work together?
Whether you're building HR from scratch or transforming what you have, we'd love to hear about your challenges.