Jeffery Adams has been a big believer not only in what the Greater Beloit community is, but what it can be. He has been active in numerous community organizations, and in major community improvement plans such as the Beloit Riverfront Project and the Beloit City Center Project. He also has been a leader in education through his position at Beloit College.

Adams has been an educator for 43 years at three liberal arts colleges. He joined the Beloit College faculty in1982 as an assistant professor of economics. He became department chair at Beloit College and Allen Bradley professor in 1989.

Adams was a founder and board member of Friends of Riverfront, an organization dedicated to bringing life to Beloit’s Riverfront. He also served on the board of directors and has served as chair of the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce. He also has served on boards for Visit Beloit and the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance among other organizations.

In 1989, Adams joined other community leaders in Beloit 2000, which later became Beloit 2020, to develop a plan to revitalize the riverfront and blighted areas in Beloit. He became project director for the Beloit RiverFront Project from 1989 to 2004 and he was project director for the Beloit City Center Project from 2005 to 2017. These projects helped improve, beautify and revitalize the community.

He was presented with the Laurence A. Raymer Headliner Award in 2009, an award presented by the Beloit Daily News recognizing people who have worked to make a difference in the community. He also was presented with the Ken Hendricks Community Spirit Award in 2017, an award given to people who reflect the community spirit that was demonstrated by ABC Supply co-founder and entrepreneur Ken Hendricks.

Jeffery Adams and his wife, Judith, have been married since 1967 and they have three sons – Samuel, Will and Daniel.