Adele is the daughter of a resilient early childhood educator and the daughter of a Filipino immigrant who served in the U.S. Army. Adele was raised on Richmond Highway in Northern Virginia where she experienced poverty and periodic homelessness not far from where she currently lives in Arlington, an experience that has made her a fierce advocate for vulnerable populations. She was the first in her family to attend college and served as Student Body President at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Through the lens of her community activism and her many lived experiences, Adele has worked with advocates, stakeholders, and members of the Virginia General Assembly to draft, pass, and implement legislation that breaks down systemic barriers, expands human rights, and improves access to services for people in Arlington and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Adele’s lived experiences combined with her policy expertise and experience in the state legislative and executive branches make Adele ready to hit the ground running on the first day. She would serve as both the first Black person and the first Asian person to represent Arlington County in the Virginia General Assembly.
Adele McClure is running to represent the needs of the people in Arlington and build upon the progress that we’ve made together.
For the past several years Adele has served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) leading the development of the VLBC’s annual legislative agenda in the Virginia State Legislature in both the House and the Senate, managing the operations, communications, structure, and strategic vision of a 22-member caucus. Adele’s leadership and work was nationally recognized when she was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Law & Policy and received the National Black Legislative Staff Leadership Council Top 22 of 2022 award.
Prior work experience includes
- Special Projects Manager and Associate Director of Eviction Prevention for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
- Policy Director in the Office of the former Virginia Lieutenant Governor
Other work experience
- Deloitte Consulting
- International Monetary Fund – Fiscal Affairs Department
- Association of the United States Army
- Served in the Restaurant/Food Industry for 7 years
- U.S. House Ways and Means Committee High School Intern
Arlington Community Service/Civic Engagement
- Nearly a decade serving on the Arlington Continuum of Care Leadership Board Action Plan to End Homelessness in Arlington – which works to address housing insecurity and homelessness.
- Appointed to the Arlington Community Services Board (CSB) 6 years ago. The Arlington CSB consists of community members appointed to oversee services provided by the Department of Human Services to persons challenged by mental health, developmental and intellectual disabilities, substance use, and co-occurring disorders.
- Longtime Member of the Arlington Substance Use Disorder Committee
- 7 years serving Arlington as an Election Officer and Deputy Chief Election Officer at the polls.
- Board Member, Arlington Alliance for Housing Solutions
- Committee Member/Grant Reviewer, Homeless Programs Arlington County Priorities Committee
- Volunteer Coordinator, Dulles Justice Coalition (Response to 2017 Travel Ban) – tapped by Arlington Dems to lead & organize hundreds of volunteer attorneys and interpreters on the ground at Dulles International Airport.
State Volunteer Engagement Roles
- Legislative Committee Member, Virginia Housing Alliance
- Mid-Atlantic Advisory Council Member, Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Steering Committee Member, Virginia DHCD Homeless Data Integration Project
- Board Member, Governor’s Coordinating Council on Homelessness, 08/2018 – 01/2022
- Board Member, HomeAgain Richmond Board of Directors
- Former Longtime Board Member, VCU Alumni Board of Governors
- Former Member, Health Services Agency of Northern Virginia Board of Directors
- Planning Team Member, Eviction Diversion Pilot Program
National Leadership Roles
- Serves on the National Pay Our Interns Board
- Served as Vice Chair of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators Staff Council Board
- Inaugural Member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Global Board