Rep. Joe Adams was elected to represent the 139th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. For the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, Joe is serving on the following committees: Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities, Finance (also serving as the Republican Secretary), Game & Fisheries and Local Government.

A duty to community service, volunteerism and fiscal responsibility are at the core of Joe’s priorities. He has held numerous positions of leadership in his community and continues to hold memberships and serve on numerous boards and committees throughout the 139th Legislative District, including:

• Wayne County commissioner since January 2017
• Honesdale Lion’s Club member
• NEPA Alliance Board member
• Wayne-Pike Workforce Alliance member
• Wayne County Board of Commissioners vice chairman
• Wayne County Emergency Food Program founder
• Fall Music Festival volunteer

Joe also is a former volunteer with the Chamber of the Northern Poconos and former coach and official for youth sports and 30-year board member and chairman of The Human Resources Center in support of disadvantaged adults.

While in the private sector for 15 years, Joe was a nationally awarded financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and a senior executive officer at the Dime Bank. He currently serves on the board of directors at Norwood Financial and Wayne Bank. As a financial professional, Joe has held multiple positions overseeing the finances for many businesses and was the business manager of the Wallenpaupack Area School District for 12 years. He retired as superintendent of Western Wayne School District in 2017.

After graduating from Wallenpaupack Area High School, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and ultimately graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Scranton, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Finance and Economics and earning a minor in History. Joe also received his MBA with honors specializing in Accounting and Finance from the University of Scranton and his Certified Financial Planning Curriculum Certificate from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University.

Joe is an outdoorsman and a supporter of Second Amendment rights. Joe’s roots in Wayne County go back five generations. He and his wife, Kathryn Scott Adams, reside in Hamlin. 

The 139th Legislative District is comprised of parts of Pike and Wayne counties, consisting of the townships of Blooming Grove, Dingman, Greene, Lackawaxen, Milford, Palmyra (Pike), Shohola, Westfall, Cherry Ridge, Dreher, Lake, Lehigh, Paupack, Palmyra (Wayne), Salem, South Canaan and Sterling, and the boroughs of Matamoras, Milford and Hawley.