Lillian Adams, a retired teacher and high school counselor, was elected to the OUSD Board of Education in 1998. She has served three terms as board president. Mrs. Adams received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Union University, earned her first master’s degree at Temple University in Pennsylvania, then completed a second master’s in counseling at Chapman University. A community activist who has resided in Oceanside for over 50 years, Mrs. Adams was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Award by the city in 1997. In 2008, she received the Advocate for Education Award from the Oceanside Teachers’ Association. She remains active in her church, the North County African American Women’s Association, the Interfaith Coastal Service Center, and other community organizations. As the wife of a retired serviceman, she has a special interest in military children, and continues to advocate for smaller classrooms and sound educational practices to help all children succeed. Mrs. Adams and her husband Charles had three children, all graduates of OUSD schools, and two grandchildren.