Several times a year, Councilmember Adams hosts "Join Jennifer" events, which highlight programs, businesses, and activities available in Tempe, as well as offers opportunities for residents to bring their questions and concerns to the table and have their voices heard.

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Nebraska native Jennifer Adams earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Nebraska in 1987 and moved to Arizona to pursue a Master of Social Work degree from Arizona State University, which she received in 1989.

Jennifer’s father was a mayor in her hometown and taught her how important public service is if you want to make a difference. She learned the value of helping others from her mother, a lifelong community volunteer.

During her 29 years as an employee for the City of Tempe, Jennifer worked in the Human Services, Public Works and Internal Services divisions, where she managed multi-million-dollar budgets and oversaw a large number of employees. 

Due to her hard work and dedication, Jennifer became the president of Arizona’s chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA). She founded the national APWA Young Professionals Committee, was the chair of the national APWA Diversity Committee and served on the national APWA Sustainability Committee. As a Tempe employee, Jennifer also served as the president of the Tempe Employee Council, which has since been dissolved and split into several Tempe city employee unions.

After retiring from the City of Tempe, Jennifer followed in her father’s footsteps by winning a seat on the Tempe City Council in 2018, and was re-elected in 2022. She served as Tempe's Vice Mayor from 2022 - 2024. Working now as a full-time City Councilmember, Jennifer uses her extensive knowledge of Tempe city departments to fulfill promises made on the campaign trail.

 Jennifer resides in Tempe with her family, their gentle giant of a rescue dog Stetson, their new puppy Bayou, and their 3 rescue cats. In her rare spare time, you can find her tinkering around her yard, playing golf with her friends, or enjoying one of Tempe's amazing local restaurants.

Accomplishments

Jennifer is proud of annexing a portion of the County Island in north Tempe for development and much-needed revitalization, leading the effort to build a new city recreation center and pool at Clark Park, bringing back Tempe’s Park Ranger program, and securing a large funding increase for the city’s pavement restoration program.

Jennifer is a driving force behind sustainability promotion. Retro-fitting city buildings with sustainable products and equipment, advocating for green building codes for new city development projects, and increasing Tempe's shade canopy are among her top projects in this area.

Local & National Leadership

Jennifer serves on the national Board of Directors for both the Democratic Municipal Officials and the National League of Cities LGBTQ+ League Organization, where she is also 1st Vice President. She also sits on the National League of Cities’ Transportation and Infrastructure Services Federal Advocacy Committee. 

Locally, she serves as the Tempe representative on the Valley Metro Board of Directors and is the Chair of the Valley Metro RPTA Board, where she also serves on the Valley Metro Audit Finance Subcommittee and as Vice Chair of the Valley Metro Rail Board. She is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tempe and serves on the Board of Directors for Tempe Tourism.

Community Service Involvement

Habitat for Humanity, Tempe Kiwanis Club, American Public Works Association, Envision Sustainability Member, Neighborhood HOA Committee Chair, Neighborhood Watch Captain, Assistance League of East Valley, 4-H volunteer, Tempe’s Litter and Graffiti Cleanup Programs.