Marie-Adélina
de la Ferrière
Executive Editor, POLISH Media
Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière is a Haitian-American trans woman, writer, storyteller, and communications strategist whose career and lived experience intersect cultural storytelling, institutional communications, and Black queer and trans advocacy.
She does not believe in the separation of rigor and relevance. Her work across editorial, public relations, not-for-profit, and institutional leadership has consistently demonstrated that the most important stories require both.
“Fear limits us. It discourages us. It deprives us. It blinds us from walking down our path of life, and deafens us from understanding the lives of others. Fear is the greatest enemy of freedom. And I refuse to let fear take hold of my destiny.”
The Storyteller
Stories have always been at the heart of Marie-Adélina’s life. Whether it was hearing the storied history of larger-than-life figures from her family’s past, finding the heart of a narrative through a client’s campaign, or interviewing activists and actors, Marie-Adélina has always known the value of storytelling to both a wide and niche audience. Most recently, she served as Community Editor and Writer at equalpride — the publisher behind Out, The Advocate, and Pride.com — three of the most widely read LGBTQ+ media brands in the country. In that role, she shaped community editorial content for audiences spanning queer culture, politics, and community life, bringing her signature blend of cultural intelligence and storytelling precision to one of the sector's most influential platforms.
Her editorial practice is grounded in a conviction that independent journalism, particularly journalism centering Black queer and trans life, is not a niche. It is a public necessity. That conviction is what drove her to found POLISH Media.
The Communicator
Before her editorial career, Marie-Adélina built a decade-long record in institutional communications and public relations, work that started in the most unlikely of places that gave her an unusually clear view of how organizations tell their stories, and where they fail.
While pursuing her Master’s in History at SUNY Brockport, Marie-Adélina would go out on the weekend to drag bars. And one fateful moment, when she was asked to take a picture for a drag queen’s social media account, spurred her to build a portfolio of work with LGBTQ+ artists in the Greater Rochester, New York, region. This would eventually lead her to take on a role in the Marketing Department at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, climbing the nonprofit ladder to become Director of Content and Digital Marketing.
Developing her expertise in audience engagement, brand narrative, and the particular challenge of making high culture accessible without making it small, Marie-Adélina went on to serve as a Public Relations Specialist at Dixon Schwabl + Company from 2021 to 2022 before joining equalpride, initially as their Public Relations Specialist before moving over to their editorial team in 2024. Since 2026, she has brought that same expertise to Morrison Media Group, where she serves as Senior Publicist.
Outside of work, Marie-Adélina pursued several interests, including a calendar fundraiser showcasing some of Greater Rochester’s drag artists and a private label coffee brand sourced sustainably from Haiti. In 2025, Marie launched the Bernadine Casseus Transgender Laureate program, a first-of-its-kind initiative that centers and amplifies trans voices in communities.
She has been honored for her community and professional work over the years: Trans Woman of the Year, Rochester Black Pride; 40 Under 40, Rochester Business Journal; and The Rochester 10, City Magazine, among other accolades. Additionally, she served on the board of the Rochester, NY chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).