Dr. Alma S. Adams was elected to her third term representing the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina on November 6, 2018. After winning a special election in November 2014, Congresswoman Adams was sworn in immediately as the 100th woman elected to the 113th Congress.
Congresswoman Adams serves on the following House Committees- Education and Labor, Financial Services and Agriculture. The Congresswoman is Chair of the Higher Education and Labor subcommittee on Workforce Protections and is Vice- chair of the Agriculture Committee.
She is a member of the Agriculture subcommittee on Nutrition; and the Financial Services subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion. Congresswoman Adams is a former member of the Small Business Committee and the Joint Economic Committee and formerly served in several leadership positions including Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus, Vice Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee, and ranking member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulation.
Congresswoman Adams is the founder and co-chair of the first Congressional Bi-partisan HBCU Caucus and is part of the Women's Caucus, Diabetes Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, Progressive Education Caucus, Historic Preservation Caucus, AIDS/HIV Caucus, Hunger Caucus, Medicaid Expansion Caucus, and the Art Caucus.
Throughout her career, Representative Adams has promoted quality education for all students, spearheading legislation to boost funds for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, providing nutritious breakfasts in schools and supporting increased pay for teachers. For 40 years, Dr. Adams taught Art at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. While at Bennett, she led the effort to increase student civic participation coining the phrase "Bennett Belles are Voting Belles" and organizing annual marches to the polls. As a former educator, Rep. Adams has dedicated her career to improving the lives of young people and her community.
In 1994, Dr. Adams was appointed by her peers to serve in the North Carolina House District 26 seat. She went on to serve ten terms in the state House. During her tenure, she rose to become the chair of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and was instrumental in passing legislation that improved the climate for quality affordable health care in the state and the first 3.1 billion dollar University Bond Referendum. Representative Adams also pioneered the Displaced Homemakers Bill and in 2006 successfully spearheaded the state's first minimum wage increase in nine years.
Before serving as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Congresswoman Adams served nine years on the Greensboro City Council. Throughout her service to the second district in Greensboro, Dr. Adams worked to create safe and affordable housing and revitalization of neighbors. She began her political career in the 1980's by becoming the first African American woman ever elected to the Greensboro City School Board. It was then that she made a lifetime commitment to effecting social change in her community and beyond.
Congresswoman Adams has one daughter, Linda Jeanelle Lindsay, one son Billy E. Adams II, and four grandchildren, Joslyn Lindsay; Aaron Lindsay, Billy E. Adams III, and Miracle Sumner. Adams graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1968 and received her master's degree in Art Education in 1972. She earned her Ph.D. in Art Education and Multicultural Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 1981.
