Axel D. Adams is the son of Mattie Adams and the late Albert Adams, Sr. and is a native of New Ellenton, South Carolina in Aiken County. Mr. Adams is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, national leader, former elected and appointed official appearing on national platforms at conferences, churches, colleges, and community event’s.
He is employed with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition where Rev. Dr. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is the Founder and President where he is the National Director of the 1000 Churches Connected Program. His primary responsibilities are to build, cultivate, deepen, and leverage partnerships with over two thousand Pastors, representing three million congregant’s around the United States, focusing on what Rev. Jackson calls “A program created to deliver a message of economic and health responsibility through the church”. Some initiatives Axel manages are the Financial Literacy, Saving Churches and Homes Initiatives working with Banking Institutions, and Economic and Social Justice Issues. It is the belly of the organization and he supervises the work of Regional Directors in New York, California, Detroit and Chicago.
Axel was hired by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Deputy Executive Director in the Chicago Headquarters’ Office. He is the youngest ever hired to serve in that position to manage and direct operations for the Civil Rights Organization nationally and internationally. Not only did he manage the operations of the organization but he started the Youth Conference track at the Rainbow PUSH National Conferences and the Rainbow PUSH Historically Black Colleges and Universities whereas the organization makes it a point to charter three coach buses with high school students to visit various HBCU's with the idea of enrolling them in a college or university. While in Chicago he was a member of several committees such as the State of Illinois Health Care Committee and the City of Chicago Human Relations Committee.
His previous employment was with the Westinghouse Savannah River Company for over 12 years and was a supervisor in the Nuclear Material Processing Division. He was the first African-American to receive the Company’s Community Service Award for his work as an elected official and work with youth.
He’s a recipient of several NAACP awards on the local, state and national level. The South Carolina Youth and College Division have named their annual State Advisor of the Year Award after Axel Adams in his honor for exemplary service. He also recognized as one of Atlanta’s Who’s Who.
He is the owner of the AAdamsGroup specializing in Artist Management, Faith Based Marketing, Branding, and Public Relations, the founder and organizer of the Minorities Network which serves as a vehicle for corporations to seek qualified minority businesses to expand the market place, and Cofounder of the Aiken County NAACP Youth Council.
Axel has been honored to be elected the first African American to serve on City Council in New Ellenton South Carolina at the early age of 22 years old and noted by the State Newspaper as the youngest elected at that time in the State of South Carolina. He served two-four year elected terms on city council. He also served as the Acting-Mayor and Police commissioner for three years, being the first African-American to serve in this capacity as well.
Now serving on several boards and committee’s i.e. Knowl Tec & Associates; Motivating Offspring Over Negativity (MOON) in Charlotte North Carolina; National Association to Broaden and Enhance Images, Inc. (NABEI) in Atlanta, GA, just to name a few.
Served on several boards and committees including but not limited to South Carolina ACLU State Executive Board, NAACP Executive Committee and Elected State Youth/College Advisor eight times, Young Democrats, Jaycees, Prince Hall Mason. Early in his career he was a consultant for Congressman Butler Derricks re-election campaign in the third congregational district and third congressional district coordinator for the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s campaign for President in 1988. While in Aiken County he organized the NAACP Youth Council whereas several hundred young people joined the NAACP. In one year alone, his youth council received the best youth council awards in the State, Region and Nation.
One of the most exciting honors presently is that a book is being written about his life as the first African-American and youngest elected official in South Carolina during his time.
Axel is the manager for the dynamic, melodious and anointed national gospel recording artist group ‘The Wardlaw Brothers” TWB.
He is a graduate of the University of Phoenix and Aiken County Public Schools.
Axel says that God is first and foremost in his life. He believes that Faith sees the invisible, believes in the incredible and receives the impossible.