The Honorable Adrienne Eadie Adams
Speaker of the New York City Council
Adrienne Eadie Adams is the Speaker of the New York City Council, leading the most diverse and first women-majority Council in city history as the body’s first African American Speaker. She is also the first woman to represent Council District 28, which includes the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, and South Ozone Park. Under the leadership of Speaker Adams, the Council has been tackling long-standing inequities through legislation and budget investments, including women’s health, racial disparities in maternal health, support for underserved crime victims, and inequities in the city’s workforce. Speaker Adams also helped establish CUNY Reconnect, a program that has helped thousands of former CUNY students of working age return to college in pursuit of a degree that advances their economic opportunities. Her leadership has set a new tone for the Council’s leadership in addressing the housing crisis, resulting in the approval of over 40 land use projects in 2022 that will produce 12,000 housing units. She also released an aggressive Housing Agenda with a Fair Housing Framework that prioritizes deepening affordability, housing preservation, and homeownership. Speaker Adams previously served as Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. Prior to serving in the City Council, Speaker Adams served as Chair of Queens Community Board 12, a Trustee of the Queens Public Library, and Co-Chair of the Jamaica NOW Leadership Council. She previously worked as a Corporate Trainer and a Child Development Associate Instructor. A mother and grandmother, Speaker Adams lives in Jamaica with her husband.