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Karyn Adams
Office history
Current office
Karyn Adams serves as City Councilwoman for Knoxville, Tennessee, representing District 1, which encompasses South Knoxville and Fort Sanders 12. She was elected to the seat on November 4, 2025 23.
Background and education
Adams is a native East Tennessean who grew up in Kingsport 4. She attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, before relocating to Knoxville and earning an English degree with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Tennessee 4.
Career
Adams founded HA ThirtyOne in 2011, a higher education strategy, marketing, and communications firm where she serves as Principal and Creative Director 4. Prior to running for City Council, she served for nearly six years on the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, including an appointment to the commission's Executive Committee for the 2022-2023 term 45.
Policy positions
Adams has prioritized affordable housing, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and balancing Knoxville's growth with the needs of existing residents 14.
Family
Adams has lived in the Lindbergh Forest neighborhood for more than 22 years with her husband, Bruce Cole, a professor, and their two sons, Auden and Crispin 4.
Community involvement
Adams served as president of the Ijams Nature Center Board and as the Lindbergh Forest neighborhood representative on the South Knoxville Neighborhood and Business Coalition 4.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Adams”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Adams”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Adams”and, if needed, select the applicable position.