Sydney Henriques-Payne

Sydney Henriques-Payne, an organizational strategist, storyteller, and executive coach, is well-versed in inclusive leadership practice, change management, and equity. She holds an MS from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in English & Communications-Rhetoric with a Certificate in Community & Corporate Relations from the University of Pittsburgh. She works as a Principal at Bridge & Ladder, a consulting company that emphasizes brand and business development through organizational and product design, strategic planning, and leadership capacity-based coaching. Her client range covers individual influencers and solo-entrepreneurs to mid-size organizations with multi-million dollar budgets. Sydney has contributed to various equitable systems transformation initiatives at National Innovation Service (NIS), including service/systems design and equity/anti-racist focused strategy and skill-building for senior leaders. Before working at NIS, she served as the Chief of Staff at The Future Company (formerly, Future Laboratories), where she oversaw people and external (public affairs) related functions and tinkered on UX and product design across the start-up studio's portfolio. Sydney has past experience in national non-profit, as well as local and state government. She is a trained doula and leads a training focused on racial equity, including the connections between racial and reproductive justice. She also serves as an aspiring allyship coach and leads several professional learning communities focused on antiracist action. As a writer, she focuses on the nuance of race, culture, and intersectional identity. Sydney is currently based in Brooklyn, NY.