When Steve Adamske was cracking the books earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, he did not imagine he would one day be helping to craft the message of a candidate for the United States Presidency. Yet 15 years after collecting his diploma, he collected potential votes for Sen. Joe Lieberman’s 2004 presidential bid. “It’s just a path my career has taken,” he says.

But Adamske’s career is less random than he would have you believe. He may not have planned his foray into the world of politics, but once he entered, he moved up quickly. Thanks to the help of an UCI alumnus he befriended in college, Jim Kohnlenberger, he landed a job with Representative Pete Stark (D-Ca), where he worked both in the nation’s capital and at the local office in Hayward, not too far from Livermore, where he grew up.

Adamske took his experience working in Congress and applied it to the Clinton/Gore ’92 campaign, producing and managing campaign appearances for the future Vice President. After the successful campaign, Adamske continued doing advance work for Vice President Gore while also serving as Special Assistant to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, concentrating mainly on environmental issues in California. “Working in the White House is an experience that I will never forget,” he says. “I’m still awed by the office of the presidency and how much power the president has.”

While Adamske’s career took him across the country, it also took him across the world to Kyoto, Japan to serve as the Deputy Director for Communications for the State Department’s 50th Anniversary NATO Summit. After overseeing the development of the $3 million International Media Center, he coordinated press activities and secured national and international media coverage.

While one can easily correlate a successful career in politics to the foundation offered by a degree in psychology, Adamske does not make too much of the connection. Though he does recognize the value in what he got from the School of Social Sciences. “When you are going to a school that has a growing reputation, you don’t necessarily take anything for granted,” he says. “You are always looking for that next success, that next discovery, that next job lead.”

And Adamske’s next job lead took him to the Federal Communications Commission, where he served as the Assistant Director of Media Relations. However, it was not long before he was back on the campaign trail, scheduling campaign appearances for Gore/Lieberman 2000. After the difficult defeat, Adamske acted as a media consultant to a variety of Democratic causes, until he eventually landed back in the House of Representatives as Press Secretary to Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), then as Communications Director to Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).

In 2003, however, the call of the White House beckoned him to hit the trail yet again in another attempt to help Senator Joe Lieberman win the Oval Office. To some the life of a politician can be somewhat dizzying, but for Adamske, there is a real fulfillment that keeps him going. Steve currently serves as Press Secretary for Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ).

“Being part of something larger—whether it’s being part of a person’s presidency or working on specific legislation—provides real job satisfaction,” says Adamske. And now as he continues to move forward in his career, Adamske recognizes the need to stay connected to his roots. “UCI is continuing to grow and it’s going to need a base of alumni spread throughout the country,” he says.

“I need to do something in my life that will give something back,” says Adamske. “Something that helps someone else arrive at the point of being as lucky as I have been.”

return to table of contents