Professor Adams began his career at Beloit College in 1982. He has been actively involved with Beloit 2020, a local nonprofit development corporation devoted to renewing the historic core of Beloit. He has been the advisor to Belmark Associates since 1985. Professor Adams did post-doctoral study as a National Institutes of Health Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professor Adams has been an active member of many civic organizations and currently serves on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.