Adam R. Zemans, Attorney-At-Law

Adam R. Zemans is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Effective Leadership Advisors Nonprofit Consulting (ELA), a Maine-based 501(c)(3) organization that counsels nonprofit organizations, public servants, and students on optimal strategies and tactics in the face of growing conflicts, increasingly hostile environments, and unprecedented risks. Originally founded as Environment Las Americas/Bolivia in 2004, ELA was relaunched in 2024 to focus on academic, professional, and organizational development in these contexts.

Adam brings over two decades of nonprofit leadership experience to ELA's mission. As Executive Director of Lake Stewards of Maine, he led one of the world’s oldest statewide citizen lake science organizations, managing 1,200+ volunteers while securing record-breaking funding. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy in Virginia, where he founded the John W. McDonald Peacebuilding Clinic, quadrupled the size of the staff, and expanded programming significantly. Adam’s career began at The Washington Center for Academic Seminars in Washington, DC, where he greatly enjoyed managing legal and international programs and mentoring undergraduate students through professional development curricula.

Adam holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center; an MSW from the University of Southern California,  with an organizational behavior focus; an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University; and an MA in Sociology from York University, Toronto. Adam graduated from Oberlin College as a Harry S. Truman Scholar (NY) and is licensed to practice law. He wakes up delighted to be based in Blue Hill, Maine, and even happier to be a husband, dad, and step-grandpa.