Adrienne Eadie Adams is the Speaker of the New York City Council, elected by her colleagues in January 2022 as the first African American to hold the role. She leads the most diverse and first women-majority Council in the city’s history and has represented Queens’ District 28 since 2017—the first woman to do so.
Under her leadership, the Council has tackled longstanding inequities, passing legislation to improve maternal health outcomes, expand access to abortion care, and support crime victims through a $5.1 million community safety initiative and New York’s first Trauma Recovery Centers. Speaker Adams also championed workforce equity, established the CUNY Reconnect program, and secured record housing approvals—over 12,000 units, with 63% affordable.
A former Chair of the Committee on Public Safety, she led key police accountability reforms and helped pass laws protecting workers, homeowners, and families. As Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, she championed the Education Equity Action Plan to implement a K-12 Black Studies curriculum.
A lifelong Queens resident and daughter of union workers, Adams holds a Psychology degree from Spelman College. Before public office, she worked in corporate training and early childhood education. She served as Chair of Queens Community Board 12 and held leadership roles on the Queens Public Library Board and the Jamaica NOW Leadership Council, guiding over $150 million in local investments.
She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the NAACP, and the National Action Network—and a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.