Kristen Adams

Kristen Adams is the Director of Federal Relations at Stony Brook University, where she advocates for the university in Washington D.C. In this role, she advances the university’s federal legislative and funding priorities by building strategic relationships with Members of Congress, federal agencies, and national associations. Kristen collaborates closely with faculty, students, and university leadership to elevate Stony Brook’s research enterprise, student aid programs, and institutional priorities on the national stage. She also leads the development of advocacy strategies and communications that amplify the university’s impact and engagement in federal policy conversations.

Kristen brings over 15 years of experience in federal relations and public policy, with a deep background in higher education, federal student aid, research policy, and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining Stony Brook, she served as Director of Federal Relations at Cornell University, where she led strategic federal advocacy efforts for nearly a decade. In that role, she established and implemented a campus-wide advocacy framework, launched a widely read weekly federal policy newsletter, and created new opportunities for faculty and students to engage directly with federal policymakers. 

Throughout her career, Kristen has been recognized as a leader in the higher education policy community. She received the Emerging Leader Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Council on Governmental Affairs (CGA) in 2020, and served in multiple leadership roles within APLU and the Association of American Universities (AAU). She most recently served as Chair of the APLU CGA in 2023, following terms as Chair-Elect and six years as an Executive Committee Member. She has also chaired several national policy task forces on a variety of issues including tax, intellectual property, and higher education regulatory reform.

Before her work in higher education, Kristen held federal relations and policy roles at the Access Group and the U.S. Department of Education. At the Department, she served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs, where she helped shape federal student aid policy, led Congressional oversight efforts, and supported the development of key legislative initiatives. She began her public service career in the U.S. Senate, working in the office of then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs.

Kristen earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management with a minor in Spanish from Virginia Tech.