Adam Hollier is an American politician who was the director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, appointed by Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...

. Hollier served in the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, representing the 2nd Senate district, serving Wayne County including Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, and Highland Park from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and education

Hollier was born and raised in the North End of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. As the son of retired social worker Jacquelene Hollier and retired Detroit Fire Department Captain and Wayne County Health Department Training Officer Carl Hollier, service to people and the community were ingrained in Hollier from a young age. Hollier is a graduate of Detroit Public Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in labor relations from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he played safety on the football team and was a decathlete. Hollier enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and later served as a

civil affairs Civil Affairs (CA) is a term used by both the United Nations and by military institutions (such as the U.S. military), but for different purposes in each case. Civil Affairs in United Nations Peace Operations Civil Affairs officers in UN Peace ...

officer in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

. He earned a

Master of Urban Planning Urban planning education is a practice of teaching and learning urban theory, studies, and professional practices. The interaction between public officials, professional planners and the public involves a continuous education on planning process. ...

from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Hollier is of Black and Native American descent, specifically from the Muscogee Nation.

Career

Hollier served as a volunteer firefighter before enlisting in the

and graduating with distinction from officer candidate school, where he earned the commission of 2nd Lieutenant. Hollier currently serves as a captain paratrooper and team leader in the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion Airborne. Prior to joining the Senate, Hollier served as director of government affairs for the Michigan Fitness Foundation. He began his career in public service in roles as a staffer in the state legislature and with local officials in the city of Detroit, where his efforts were instrumental in developing policies that protected seniors and facilitated the installation of 64,000 new lights to make neighborhoods safe. In 2013, Hollier ran for the

Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...

, and lost to Mary Sheffield. In 2014, Hollier ran in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

4th district Democratic primary, but lost to incumbent Rose Mary Robinson. He was elected to the

in 2018, and served as the sergeant-at-arms and parliamentarian of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination to represent

Michigan's 13th congressional district Michigan's 13th congressional district is a United States List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in Wayne County, Michigan. It is currently represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Shri Thanedar. ...

in the House of Representatives. In the state legislature, Hollier's championed a successful resolution to replace the

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...

in the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old Hal ...

with a statue of

Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit and has been described as the "single mo ...

, the first Black mayor of Detroit. On December 2, 2022, Hollier was appointed director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer starting January 1, 2023. In October 2023, Hollier announced he would launch a primary challenge against incumbent Democrat

Shri Thanedar Shri Thanedar (; ; born February 22, 1955) is an American businessman, author, and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 13th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Thanedar served as a mem ...

for

. However, Hollier was disqualified from the primary ballot in May 2024 for failing to secure enough valid voter petition signatures.https://michiganadvance.com/2024/05/22/petition-scandal-disqualifies-hollier-from-the-congressional-primary-ballot-against-thanedar/

Personal life

Hollier and his wife, Krystle, live in Detroit with their daughter Lillian and son AJ. Hollier enjoys spending time with his family, woodworking, and setting fitness goals in running, CrossFit, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

Awards

Hollier was named to Michigan Chronicle's 40 under 40 in 2013, Crain's 20 in their 20s in 2015, and the Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence in 2021.

Other positions

*Assistant Professor of Teaching of Urban Studies and Planning at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollier, Adam 1985 births 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature 21st-century Native American politicians African-American Catholics African-American state legislators in Michigan Black Native American people Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Cornell University alumni Democratic Party Michigan state senators Living people Muscogee (Creek) Nation politicians Military personnel from Michigan Native American people from Michigan Native American Roman Catholics United States Army officers United States Army reservists University of Michigan alumni