BCC Professor Eugene Adams – Director of Collaborative Education Programs and Co-Founder of the Male Empowerment Network (MEN) Programs – spoke to students, staff and faculty members at a Lunch with Leaders event, sharing his personal and professional journey as a therapist, artist, historian, and entrepreneur and imparting some powerful lessons. 

“You’ve got to get involved with something – something bigger than yourself,” said Adams, who grew up during the Civil Rights Movement and from a young age had a passion for uplifting the community. “Learn your family’s history. Develop a leadership mindset. Get involved globally.”  

 Prof. Adams talked about how he became an activist as a result of his anger when he witnessed a race riot the first day of high school. “That was a pivotal moment for me,” he said. “But I realized anger was not going to be the liberating force I thought it would be.” 

 Despite learning challenges (he describes himself as a “hard core dyslexic”), Adams went on to attend Rochester Institute of Technology, Columbia University, New School for Social Research, and the University of Havana. He has spent nearly 40 years as a corporate, non-profit, and education leader dedicated to supporting students at BCC and the wider Bronx community.

Professor Adams is recognized nationally and internationally as an educational innovator. He has participated in numerous STEM education grant development projects and facilitated global professional development conferences and engagements between African American and continental African educators.  

 Adams defines himself as a ‘Possibility Broker’, bringing diverse perspectives, needs, and resources together to develop sustainable empowerment partnerships. He emphasized the importance of  becoming a master at more than one thing and advised students to pursue both academic and industrial education.  

 He added, “You can’t just show up. You need to transition to something and then transform.”