Stanley Adams named Commerce Employee of the Year

TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced that Office of Broadband Development Director Stanley Adams is the Department of Commerce’s Employee of the Year for 2020.

Adams was promoted to lead Governor Laura Kelly’s newly established Office of Broadband Development (OBD) at Commerce in October of last year. Since that time, under Adams’ leadership, the OBD has worked tirelessly to connect underserved communities to strong, reliable broadband.

“Since 2019, the Office of Broadband Development has improved connectivity for thousands of Kansans, helping our students, farmers, and local economies thrive,” Governor Kelly said. “I am glad to see Stanley recognized for his hard work at the Office of Broadband Development. His commitment and creativity will continue to be instrumental as we work towards universal broadband access.”

Adams has been with the Department of Commerce for nearly 10 years, working to identify broadband gaps and mitigation plans targeted to improve economic growth. In the past year, he designed and executed the state’s broadband pandemic response initiatives, which, through public/private partnerships, led to increasing connectivity at a time it was needed most.

A champion of harnessing broadband technology for economic growth, Stan works with internet service providers and a wide range of broadband stakeholders at the local, state and federal level to foster and promote improved broadband accessibility within the state to drive economic development, job creation, promote innovation and expand markets for Kansas businesses.

His prior experience includes leadership roles in marketing and management with market leaders YRC Worldwide, AT&T Broadband and Procter & Gamble.

“Our state is fortunate to have a dedicated, forward-thinking professional like Stan leading our broadband office,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “Stan has been pushing for years for broadband to be an area of emphasis for our state. He has been given a tremendous amount of responsibilities for Kansas, and he has shouldered them all extraordinarily efficiently. His leadership has brought about positive change for businesses, communities and residents of our state, and I’m proud to have him on my team.”

“I’m honored to have been given this prestigious award, and I’m honored to be entrusted every day with this important work for Kansas,” Adams said. “I want to thank Governor Kelly and Lt. Governor Toland for this recognition, but more importantly, I want to thank them both for their commitment to broadband access in Kansas. Our state is fortunate to have leaders who understand the importance of this issue for all Kansans.”

Adams recently joined Governor Kelly and Lt. Governor/Secretary Toland at the announcement of a new series of Broadband Acceleration grants through the OBD. The program includes $5 million in state funding combined with $5 million in matching contributions from the awardees for a total of $10 million in broadband investment. To learn more, click here.

These latest grants are in addition to nearly $50 million already invested in 66 projects for broadband infrastructure improvements through the Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) program. For more information, click here.

About the Office of Broadband Development

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development was established in 2020 to help ensure that all Kansans have the opportunity to live, work, learn and compete in a global economy by improving universal access to quality, affordable and reliable broadband. The Office is housed within the Community Development Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce and seeks to complement the state’s community assets through a variety of state and federally funded efforts.

About the Kansas Department of Commerce

As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, nationwide and worldwide. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses.