Jerry Adams named a 2026 OSU Changemaker

Jerry Adams, MAIS ’88, was elected class president and voted class clown at his high school in the small town of Ionia, Michigan. The superlative that might have fit him better was most likely to innovate.  

Adams’ accomplishments are numerous. He’s developed software to modernize museum management, coached tennis and turned a love of local food into the region’s first online farmers market. 

His persistence, innovation and service-driven leadership exemplify why he was chosen for OSU Changemakers in 2026. The program, a part of the OSU Days of Service, celebrates Beavers who meaningfully transform their communities or fields of interest through their careers or volunteer work. 

After studying physical anthropology and zoology, he dreamed of working at the Smithsonian, then realized he’d need a graduate degree.  

A conversation at a family wedding would lead him to Oregon State, where his aunt, an OSU professor, told him about the new museum studies program. Adams decided to check his prospects out west and was admitted as student No. 2.  

The startup aspects of the program appealed to him and prepared him to launch new ventures. Graduate research also gave him confidence to tackle unfamiliar challenges. 

He began his career at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Michigan. His early work earned him a promotion, and soon he was leading the collections computerization project to organize and track artifacts.  

The software was cumbersome. Adams designed a new management tool relating images to information, a digital encyclopedia for museums that he turned into a business, MuseComp. He developed another new technology, an interactive computer display that launched another company he still owns, Media Rare, which specializes in museum collection management software, curation and exhibition design.  

Then, a 1999 visit to a farmers market sparked the beginning of a long-term commitment to building a local food system when he came up with the concept for an online food hub selling directly to households. In 2011, he co-founded West Michigan FarmLink. The model removed barriers to market access for small and midsized farms by offering farmer-set pricing, logistics support and a reliable distribution platform selling to restaurants.  

As FarmLink grew into home delivery and institutional partnerships, it strengthened local agriculture and the regional economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adams helped the organization pivot quickly so farmers could sell food that might otherwise have gone to waste and households could still access safe, responsibly sourced, local products during a time of uncertainty. 

Adams enjoys taking chances and doing things other people find daunting. 

“I have been lucky because technological developments meshed with my visions,” he says.  

Following a house fire five years ago, then two major strokes, Adams is returning to the things he is passionate about. He is playing tennis again. With his right hand still numb, he took up painting using a simplified approach. And he’s looking to expand the FarmLink model to more locations.  

His vision is for a future where local food systems are not niche alternatives, but rather are foundational to community health, prosperity and sustainability.  

Adams is grateful for the support of family, as well as “innumerable characters along the way,” he says. “So many people gave me chances and paid me to do things I knew nothing about at the start.”