who has, for more than 25 years, made substantial contributions to human services, community development, sociological research and African-American education and culture.
Nationally acclaimed for her expertise in developing programs that promote self-sufficiency, human capital development and neighborhood revitalization, Adams was the first social scientist to guide the mammoth human services program at the Chicago Housing Authority as director of its Resident Services Division.
There she designed and implemented several highly successful, award-winning initiatives including: mentoring sessions for teen mothers and fathers; a late night sports program used to steer youth from crime; a drug prevention and treatment program expressly tailored for public housing residents; a consortium of Chicago's major museums to mainstream public housing residents into educational and cultural programs; and the Mental Health Roundtable/Crises Response Team which continues to provide counseling in low-income neighborhoods where recurring violence and tragedy significantly impact the collective psyche of its residents.
At Loyola University she directed the Department of African-American Studies, where she was spokeswoman on issues of diversity and urban affairs. Loyola students voted her one of ten favorite professors among a faculty of more than 1,100.
Secretary Adams has consulted for Illinois agencies and institutions including the Board of Higher Education, the Department of Corrections and the Humanities Council. The City of Chicago Department of Human Services, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department have sought her counsel. Consultations with the federal government include: the United States Department of Health and Human Services; the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the US Agency for International Development.
She is affiliated with: ETA Creative Arts Foundation; Chicago Project for Violence Prevention; the A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porters Museum; the Bronzeville Arts Trust; and the Harold Washington Research and Policy Institute.
Adams is a member of the American Sociological Association, the Conference of Minority Public Administrators, the Illinois Ethnic Coalition and the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Councils.
Educated at Fisk University, Boston University, the University of Chicago and The Union Graduate School where she earned a Doctorate of Philosophy, Dr. Adams holds the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa key.
Among her awards and honors are: the Community Service Award presented by the National Association of University Women; the Illinois Arts Council Governor's Awards In The Arts; the Community Service Award presented by Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Center; the Winnie Mandela Award; the Outstanding Leadership Award presented by the Senior Citizens of the Chicago Housing Authority; and a Certificate of Merit presented by the Board of Aldermen of Louisville, Kentucky, her hometown.
