NYC Council Member Adrienne E. Adams to Deliver Keynote Address at HEOP Celebration

MMC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at the College’s Golden Jubilee Celebration on Friday, October 18, and we are delighted to announce that Council Member Adrienne E. Adams will deliver the keynote address at the event.

About Council Member Adams

Adrienne Adams is the first woman elected to represent City Council District 28, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park.

A lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, Council Member Adams was elected to the NYC Council in 2017. At the time of her run for the position, Council Member Adams was in her third term as Chairperson of Community Board 12, Queens—the second largest community board in the borough. Professionally, she is a corporate trainer who has worked in human capital management at several Fortune 500 corporations, specializing in executive training and telecommunications management. After minoring in Early Childhood Development, Council Member Adams also worked as a Child Development Associate instructor, training child care professionals to meet the requisite goals to obtain the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in accordance with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethics. 

As past Education Chairperson of Community Board 12, Council Member Adams was the Board’s primary advocate for education equity of children within Queens School Districts 27, 28, and 29. She represented Community Board 12 at citywide education events, Community District Council and New York City Department of Education/Panel for Education Policy meetings, sharing critical DOE missives such as school closures and co-location intentions with the community. She remains a vocal advocate and activist for education equity for the children of Southeast Queens.

Council Member Adams’ experience includes appointed membership on the Queens Public Library Board of Trustees, one of the largest library systems in the United States, comprising 62 branches throughout the borough. Additionally, Ms. Adams was appointed to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Local Planning Committee (LPC) for the Jamaica Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which provided a $10 million dollar award for neighborhood transformation, helping to support several projects to advance the community’s vision of vibrancy and economic stability. Council Member Adams is also former co-chair of the Jamaica NOW Leadership Council, a diverse group of stakeholders who provide oversight of the revitalization and economic development of the downtown Jamaica core, which encompasses over $150 million in funding. The Council oversees a plan that outlines strategic actions in the areas of workforce and business development, education, health and wellness, public safety, youth development, housing, transportation, and urban design improvements for the revitalization and growth of Jamaica, Queens.

Council Member Adams is a long-standing member of several community-based organizations, including the NAACP and the National Action Network, which champion civil and equal rights and the provision of academic funding and scholarships to deserving students. Council Member Adrienne Adams is a proud, active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority for black college-educated women. Council Member Adams is also a professional vocalist, who considers her spiritually-inspired vocal gift as her “secret weapon.” She is #proudtoserveNYC.

Published: September 23, 2019

HEOP Launches the Parent and Alumni Reach Initiative!

HEOP Parent and Alumni Managers, Jerandy Beato and Zaheraa Ramsahoye-Khan launched the Parent and Alumni Reach Initiative with the intentions of engaging alumni and bridging the gap between current and former students.