Jimmy Adams worked in public education for 27 years serving as the Chief of Human Resources for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Louisville, Kentucky, the Executive Director for the Education Professional Standards Board for Kentucky and experience in Fayette, Woodford, and Jessamine counties included classroom teacher, technology resource teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of technology, director of secondary schools and assistant superintendent. He also served as an adjunct professor in two educator preparation programs in Kentucky. Jimmy received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky and did additional postgraduate work at Eastern Kentucky University. Most recently, Jimmy served as NASDTEC's Director of Member Engagement.

In addition to his work in the classroom and school leadership, Jimmy previously served on NASDTEC's Executive Board, the KY Center for Education and Workforce Statistics (KCEWS) Board, and the Committee for Mathematics Achievement in Kentucky. He is currently a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Effective Educator Development (EED) Advisory Council.

Jimmy is a recipient of the University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics Sally E. Pence for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics, the University of Kentucky Teacher Who Made a Difference Award, the Golden Apple Achiever Award from Ashland Oil, a two time recipient of the Joseph B. Whitehead Educator of Distinction Award for Exemplary Dedication to the Field of Education, recognized as a Friend of the Kentucky Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and recipient of the Murray State University Dean’s Award for contributions to the teaching profession.

In the past he developed software to assist teachers in unit and lesson planning, scheduling, gifted services, and classroom management.

Prior to his work in education, Jimmy was the Executive Director of the Downtown Somerset Development Corporation; a non-profit organization focused on downtown revitalization and retail recruitment. During his time in this position, he also served as the Interim Executive Director for the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce.