Avon Resident Angelo Adams Re-Elected as Board Vice-Chair of the Urban League of Greater Hartford

Avon resident Angelo Adams was re-elected as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Urban League of Greater Hartford at its 2026 Annual meeting in June. The local affiliate of the National Urban League is beginning its 62^nd year of continuous service providing education, employment, housing, and health programs while fighting for social justice.

The Officers of the Urban League of Greater Hartford for the 2026-2027 fiscal year are: Chair Wes Alexander, J.D., Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Travelers; Vice Chair - Angelo Adams, the Owner/Operator of Grip Hands; Treasurer - Cathy Velez, Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region; Secretary - Teshia Levy-Grant, Senior Managing Director, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Webster Bank; and President David J. Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer, Urban League of Greater Hartford.

At the Annual Meeting, seven (7) new Directors also were elected to the Board:Barry Camara – Area Director of Operations, Starbucks Coffee Company; Zillah Matare Fluker, PhD. – Founder of activate|elevate, LLC powered by Martin Loyd, Inc., where she leads Higher Education, Leadership and Philanthropy Strategy; Princeton Jennings – Talent Acquisition Partner, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast; Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad – Chief Operating Officer, My People Community and Clinical Services; Bishop Maurice S. Porter – Pastor and Founder, IMPACT CHURCH in Hartford; and Alex A. Toribio, J.D. – Head of Global Litigation and Government Investigations, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.; and Cathy Velez – Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region.

The new Directors join the existing roster of dedicated At-Large Members who are: Brenda Dinnald, Senior Project Manager, Aetna/CVS; Erika Goldstein, VP Field Operations, Asia Pacific, Otis Elevator Co.; Jeffrey F. Hines, M.D., Vice President of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Connecticut and UConn Health; Pamela Hippolyte, Assistant Vice President, Affordable Mortgage Loan Officer, Dime Bank; Nicole Hughey, senior director of the Office of Colleague Opportunity & Engagement, Hartford HealthCare; Patrice Y. Wood, retired SVP, Senior Audit Director, Bank of America Corp. Global; and Luz Holmes-Padgett as the President of the Urban League of Greater Hartford Young Professionals (YPs) Auxiliary.

►Avon resident Angelo Adams has a diverse background in the engineering, military, and business sectors. He is the Owner / Operator of Grip Hands, a holding company that acquires and operates businesses in buildings services, transportation, and logistics sectors, applying disciplined operating leadership to drive sustainable growth and long term value. Prior to this position, he served for four years as President of Zipcar, a round-trip car-sharing network. Before joining Zipcar, Mr. Adams was an executive at OTIS Elevator where he led teams of increasing responsibility from Service Manager to General Manager and Regional Director. His last role at OTIS was the P&L business leader of OTIS North America’s central service hub.

Mr. Adams’ career began with distinguished service in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps officer. A West Point graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, he held numerous jobs with increasing responsibility in the Army. As a 1LT in the 82dAirborne Division, he led 120+ paratroopers in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Forward Company Commander in the Signal Battalion. Later, he went back to West Point to serve as an Outreach Admissions officer for the Southeast region. He completed his career in the Army serving as a liaison to the Korean Army in Yong-In Korea.

Complementing his military background, Mr. Adams earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan (Ross School of Business), focusing on Marketing and Entrepreneurial studies. Following his time at Ross, Adams worked at Johnson & Johnson as an Associate Brand Manager, where he contributed to the launch of Johnson’s Baby into the Natural’s category.

“We are excited to welcome the expertise and vision of our officers and our new Board members as our organization enters a new year of empowerment,” reflects David Hopkins, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Hartford. “I am excited to work with all of them and our dedicated staff as we conclude another decade of the agency’s legacy of impact.”

Proceeds from the support of corporations, foundations, and individual donors help fund Urban League programs and operations. Donations are welcome and can be made at: www.ulgh.org/donate. Institutional Partners include Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, M&T Bank, Webster Bank, United Way, Comcast, Verizon, Beacon Bank, Lincoln Financial, Liberty Bank, OTIS Elevator, Robinson & Cole, LISC, Coca Cola, Stanley Black & Decker, Bank of America, Eversource, UCONN Heath, Hartford HealthCare, Barnes Group, Inc., Hartford Steam Boiler, Dalio, Audacy, and National Urban League.

The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League’s 66^th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice, impacting more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. For more information about the Urban League of Greater Hartford, visit www.ulgh.org or https://linktr.ee/ulgh64or call 860-527-0147. Follow us on social media @ulgh64.