Aligned Ethos
IT Communications & Change Strategy
Strategy. Story. Change that sticks.
When technology is ready but people aren’t, the work is just getting started. Aligned Ethos builds the communication strategy that closes the gap.
Services
Communications and change management, together.
Each engagement is tailored to where you are. Whether you need to lead your organization through a major IT transition, align your leaders on a shared narrative, or build a communication strategy from scratch, the work starts with your specific objective.
Change Communication Strategy
Communication strategy for IT changes, with clear frameworks, messaging, and rollout plans that keep people informed and moving forward.
Stakeholder analysis
Core narrative and message architecture
Communication planning and sequencing
Manager and leader communications support
Executive & Internal Communications
Strategic communications for senior leaders and internal audiences. The work spans CEO or CIO messaging and all-hands presentations to team-level talking points. What people hear from leadership shapes how they feel about the organization. Every word carries weight.
Executive voice development
All-hands and town hall content
Internal campaign development
Editorial calendar and governance
Culture & Values Alignment
When stated values and lived experience diverge, trust erodes. Aligned Ethos helps organizations articulate what they stand for, diagnose gaps, and build communication systems that close the distance over time.
Values and culture audit
Narrative and positioning work
Communication systems design
Ongoing advisory and coaching
About
Clear process. Measurable progress.
What works for one organization rarely translates wholesale to another. Every engagement begins with listening to understand the context and culture is essential, ends with measurable outcomes that align technology with business strategy.
1: Listen and Diagnose
Stakeholder interviews, document review, and organizational listening to understand the real communication gaps (not just the presenting problem).
2: Build the Narrative
Develop core messaging architecture: the story your organization needs to tell, to whom, and in what order.
3: Create the Infrastructure
Templates, playbooks, training, and tools that let your leaders and managers communicate consistently.
4: Activate and Measure
Support rollout, read the feedback, and adjust as needed.
Meet Christine Harkreader
Christine Harkreader is the rare strategist who can both design the change communication architecture and write the words that move people through it. She founded Aligned Ethos after more than a decade leading communications through challenges that demand both strategic thinking and agility: system-wide transformations, evolving regulatory landscapes, and inflection points that test whether an organization’s values hold under pressure.
Most recently, she led messaging and stakeholder engagement for more than 60,000 students, faculty, staff, and contractors at one of Georgia’s largest universities. There, she guided a critical authentication rollout to 94.21% adoption, well above an 80% target.
Christine believes communication is a strategic capability that helps organizations succeed, and she partners with teams to build that capability from the inside out, creating clarity, processes, and alignment that last well beyond any single initiative.
Christine holds an M.A. in Professional Writing, is Prosci-certified in Change Management, and is trained in classical rhetoric. She doesn’t just advise on communications strategy; she steps in to craft it when the stakes are high.
Testimonials
“Christine is an exceptional communications leader whose work has elevated IT Communications to a new level at KSU. She combines strong writing and presentation skills with strategic insight, consistently delivering high-quality communications to stakeholders across the organization, as well as impactful engagement activities and professional development opportunities for IT staff.
Christine takes initiative, adapts quickly to change, mentors her team effectively, and builds strong campus relationships. Her sound judgement, reliability, and dedication make her a vital contributor to KSU's mission.”
Christina Coronado, Executive Director, IT Customer Support Services, Kennesaw State University
“I had the pleasure of working with Christine on a university-wide AI initiative, and she was exceptional throughout the process. She brought organization, clarity, and purpose to a complex project with many stakeholders across functional units. She handled that challenge with a deft touch. Her communication skills are exceptional (and I really want to emphasize that), and she consistently ensures that ideas are understood and executed effectively.
Christine combines strategic insight with genuine collaboration, and she would be a tremendous asset to any organization looking for a thoughtful and capable communications leader in the technology space. Her warmth, authenticity, wit, and expertise are just some of the reasons why I cherish her leadership and will fondly remember her impactful contributions when we worked together.”
Dylan Goldblatt, AI Strategist and Applied Researcher, Kennesaw State University
Let’s talk
If you're navigating a change your organization isn't quite ready to talk about yet, that's usually where this work begins. I would love to hear what you're working on.
I typically respond within one business day.