Consulting

navy blue logo for Shanker Strategies

Shanker Strategies is a consulting practice working to advance the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ and HIV+ communities by strengthening the organizations that provide care and support. It is led by Adrian Shanker, a non-profit entrepreneur and LGBTQI+ health policy expert who led LGBTQI+ health policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Biden-Harris administration and who has worked at the municipal, state, and federal levels on LGBTQI+ and HIV policy for 15 years.

Adrian’s years of experience and his deep subject matter expertise in both non-profit management, LGBTQI+ health, and federal policy is only matched by his expansive network and his unrelenting passion for the health and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ people.

Selected Clients

Most of our clients include LGBTQI+ community centers and clinics, HIV clinics, state equality organizations, health disparity organizations, and national LGBTQI+ organizations. We are pleased to share a selection of our clients. This is not an exhaustive list, as some of our clients are confidential.


Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico

Consulting for LGBTQI+ and HIV/AIDS Non-Profit Organizations:

A seasoned non-profit leader with 15 years of experience in non-profit executive leadership in LGBTQI+ and HIV focused non-profit organizations, Adrian is well-prepared to support organizations with:

  • Strategic Planning
  • Development Planning
  • ‘Culture of Philanthropy’ Organizational Development
  • Executive Coaching
  • Succession Planning
  • Planned giving campaign training and strategy
  • Board Development
  • Program Development
  • Program Evaluation
  • Facilitation of Board / Staff Retreats
  • Grassroots Fundraising Training

Shanker Strategies is especially excited to work with LGBTQI+ community centers, LGBTQI+ and HIV focused health centers, and other HIV service providers, however consulting services are also available for allied non-profit organizations. 

Consulting for Healthcare Organizations:

Adrian is a nationally-regarded expert in LGBTQI+ health policy, data equity, and access to care strategies and is excited for opportunities to partner with healthcare organizations seeking to improve care for their LGBTQI+ community members. Examples of consulting partnerships for healthcare organizations include:

  • Developing and facilitating a community of practice among healthcare staff to develop in-house expertise 
  • Detailed review of barriers to care at a healthcare facility, including review of intake forms, waiting rooms, and patient experience
  • Review and update to clinical policy manuals
  • Integration of new health services to address gaps in care for the LGBTQI+ and HIV communities (including navigation of funding, training, and operational challenges)

Adrian is also available for grand rounds, training on LGBTQI+ access to care strategies, and speaking engagements for healthcare professionals.

At its heart, policy change is about process as much as it’s about great ideas and skilled activism. Knowing when to utilize which activist tools to yield the desired policy change is a skill Adrian has carefully honed over many years, and to significant results. Adrian’s entire career has involved advocacy and policy to advance LGBTQI+ equity, and he has significant experience with the process of high-impact advocacy and policy change at the municipal, state, and federal levels — both from his time as an advocate and in his service in senior roles in state and federal agencies. 

Advocacy and Policy Consulting:

Adrian provides advocacy and policy consulting to a range of clients – including national organizations, community-based organizations, and corporations – interested in increasing their impact and advancing their organization’s needs on the municipal, state, or federal levels. 

Our Commitments:

Shanker Strategies is a values-driven consulting practice and is certified as an LGBT Business Enterprise by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. If your company has supplier diversity metrics, Shanker Strategies may count toward them!

We are proud members of the Equality Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC and our principal, Adrian Shanker, volunteers on the board of directors for CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers, and as a member of the National Campaign Board of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. The majority of our vendors are also LGBTQI+ owned small businesses, including accounting, insurance, graphic design, and photography.

We believe strongly in the interconnections between LGBTQI+ health equity and environmental justice, so Shanker Strategies is a proud member of 1% for the Planet®. We pledge 1% of our annual revenue to support climate adaptation, climate resilience, and access to nature for historically excluded and underserved communities.

Disclaimers: 

Shanker Strategies was formed to strengthen health and well-being for LGBTQI+ people and does not provide consulting services for organizations that cause harm to the LGBTQI+ community

Shanker Strategies is not a lobbying firm, we provide expertise and strategy to clients to increase their impact in public policy.


Image description 1: Navy blue logo of Shanker Strategies which includes the text as well as a blue circle with a winding road that also looks like the letter S.

Image description 3: Grey logo for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce with purple text reading “certified LGBT Business Enterprise”

Image description 3: Bold black and white logo of the Equality Chamber with text reading “proud member”

Image description 4: Blue and white logo for “1% for the Planet” with a blue symbol of a globe.