Marchell came from humble beginnings in Hamlet. Her integrity and passion can be attributed to the fact that she “came from a family that taught her the importance of being true to yourself, being true to your word and upholding your family’s name”.
“Ms. Adams-David is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned her B.A. in Public Policy Analysis with an emphasis in State & Local Administration and her Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management. She was an instructor at Richmond Community College and served as an adjunct professor for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in the Political Science/Public Administration Department for nearly 20 years.” She has worked in local government for almost 30 years.
In 2020, Ms. Adams-David was selected by the city council, to serve as the City Manager for the City of Raleigh.
As the City Manager, Ms. Adams-David continues to work tirelessly on building a more “equitable and inclusive city, addressing the community’s need to expand public transit options, as Raleigh continues to grow, developing policies in which neighborhoods and development co-exist in a mutually inclusive manner.” In fulfilling her commitment diversity, equity and inclusion, “Adams-David established and elevated the first Department of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Raleigh”.
The Department of Equity and Inclusion is celebrating the City’s seventh City Manager since the Council-Manager form of government was adopted in 1947 and the 1st woman and African American in history to lead the City of Raleigh. Ms. Adams-David currently leads a growing city with more than 510,000 people and employs nearly 4000 full-time and 3000 part-time employees in 20 different departments.
Gavin Stone, (2020), Marchell Adams-David Named Raleigh city manager,
In Conversation with Marchell Adams-David, City of Raleigh Manager, UNC School of Government
Kruchten, Lauren, (Jan 2021),The City’s New Leader, Raleigh Magazine,