A School for Leaders

Innovative leadership isn’t just something Drake alumni
do. It’s a mindset the University has been actively and
intentionally building for decades. The Donald V. Adams
Leadership Institute is the heart of that effort.
Large group of students in matching blue jackets gathered on steps with a gentleman in a suit.
The ALI class of 2019.

A School for Leaders

Innovative leadership isn’t just something Drake alumni do. It’s a mindset the University has been actively and intentionally building for decades. The Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute is the heart of that effort.
Founded in 2000 and open to undergraduate students across all majors, the Adams Leadership Institute is a selective leadership development program that gives students something most universities leave to chance—intentional, structured training in the human skills that define great leadership. These include self-awareness, active listening, collaboration, and perspective-taking.

“The Adams Institute content is an immersive experience,” said Kristin Economos, senior director of the Adams Leadership Institute. “It helps you learn skills in your default behaviors, fine-tune those for maximum success, and learn how to collaborate with the gifts and talents of others to make a positive difference in the causes and communities you care about.”

Students admitted to the Adams Leadership Institute complete a three-part leadership training series and gain access to exclusive leadership events and a growing professional network. Just last year, the Adams Leadership Institute was nationally recognized for its innovative training style and content by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. The program received the Gold Award and the Grand Silver Award (the highest award tier) in The Excellence Awards, which recognize schools and programs for efforts transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration.

The Adams Leadership Institute celebrated graduating seniors in May with a celebratory social post honoring the work they completed while looking ahead to their future contributions.
This week, we celebrated 49 graduating seniors completing the Adams Leadership Institute—students who chose to invest deeply in their leadership, relationships, character, and futures.

Over the past several years, these students committed themselves to learning how to live, lead, and launch with greater self-awareness, courage, empathy, and purpose. They showed up consistently for difficult conversations, meaningful reflection, collaborative work, and the ongoing process of becoming the kind of leaders our world needs.

We could not be prouder of the impact they’ve made at Drake and the lives they will continue to influence far beyond campus.

The Adams Leadership Institute has been celebrated at a national level for its innovation. Kristin Economos shares the foundational principles of the program.
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Who is Don Adams?

Donald V. Adams’ legacy-making contributions to our campus began when he arrived at Drake in 1969 as vice president of student life. At the time, students across the country were demanding change—marching for Civil Rights, protesting the Vietnam War, and fighting for Women’s Rights. Adams didn’t retreat into his office; he showed up for meetings, conversations, and difficult moments. The 1971 Drake yearbook, The Quax, praised Adams for spending countless hours with students, discussing their problems and ideas.

Another renowned Drake leader was just beginning her incredible journey at this time and intersected with Don in his role. Wanda Woods Everage, LA’72, arrived at Drake in 1968 as one of a small number of Black students on campus. For her, Adams was an administrator who made a genuine difference during a challenging time.

“He came in, he listened, he was at every meeting, he met with us as a group and met with us individually. He genuinely cared,” she said. “He always reminded us of the impact we had on him as an individual and on the University because we were bold in our voices. He always told me we made the University listen.”

Adams retired in 2007 after nearly four decades at Drake, but he still walks into Drake events with a warm smile and an ability to make each individual feel like the most important person in the room. The institute founded in his honor carries his belief that leadership is not a title, but a lifelong practice.

To learn more about the Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute or to support its mission, visit drake.edu/leadershipinstitute.

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