Stella Adams is the CEO of S J Adams Consulting, which provides community education in fair housing/fair lending issues; promotes community involvement in fair housing/fair lending issues and performs research and policy development in the areas of fair housing, fair lending and access to capital for all. Most recently, Stella served as the chief of equity and inclusion for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. The Division of Equity and Inclusion is designed to empower, organize and support economically vulnerable, individuals, communities and small businesses. Combining advocacy, organizing, technical assistance and direct services the division promotes economically viable, sustainable, inclusive communities for all Americans free from discrimination. Stella is a nationally recognized expert on the Fair Housing Act and its implementing regulations. Stella is cited in “The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report: Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States” for publicly warning financial regulators of “the danger that non-traditional mortgages posed to the economy.” She is an “Activist” who believes in the struggle for Civil and Human Rights. In 1998, Stella went on a 30-day hunger strike to bring national attention to the predatory lending practices of Nationsbank/Bank of America resulting in a $100 million commitment to North Carolina communities. She is a founding member of North Carolina’s HKonJ/Moral Monday Movement, was arrested as a member of the “Tillis 15” and is named plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of restrictive building rules imposed by the NC General Assembly. Stella was honored by Legal Aid of North Carolina when they established the Stella J. Adams Fair Housing Advocacy Award (2013). She was named 2014 Woman of the Year in Civil and Human Rights by Spectacular Magazine. Ms. Adams is the recipient of the Charles A. McLean Distinguished Service Award of the NC NAACP (2012), City of Durham Lifetime Achievement Award (2008}, Individual Achievement Award of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies (2006), and the Civil Rights Award granted by the National Association of Human Rights Workers (2005). She is also the recipient of the National Fair Housing Alliance “Fair Lending Advocacy Award” and HUD’s Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity “Pioneer Award” for her work in fighting predatory lending. Stella currently serves on the following Boards and Commissions: The National Community Reinvestment Coalition; The National Association of American Veterans, Inc. The North Carolina Fix the Debt Steering Committee, Headwaters Group of the Sierra Club, Reinvestment Partners and The NC State Conference of Branches of the NAACP. Stella is married to Thomas C. Adams, III and has three children.
