Turning a grassroots mission into homes for those who need them most
Leonard L. Adams Jr. founded Quest Community Development Organization to do two things: invest in affordable housing and deliver services to people who are too often overlooked. As its president and CEO, he has taken a grassroots effort and built it into an organization with a $4.5 million annual operating budget and $39 million in current assets.
Along the way, Leonard has secured more than $100 million in government grants and subsidies for affordable housing. His work has focused on creating affordable and supportive housing communities in challenged neighborhoods on Atlanta’s Westside and in Knoxville, Tennessee.
A Detroit native and U.S. Army veteran, Leonard studied at Knoxville College and earned his MBA from Kennesaw State University. He now serves on Knoxville College’s board of trustees and on the Enterprise Community Leadership Council. His very first jobs? Shoveling snow and delivering newspapers.