John R. and Dr. Sarah A. Adams Family Scholarship in Financial Planning

John R. Adams ’88 and Dr. Sarah A. Adams ’89 established The John R. and Dr. Sarah A. Adams Family Scholarship in Financial Planning as an endowed fund in 2020 in recognition of The University of Akron’s 150th Sesquicentennial Anniversary. They established this fund to honor the importance of personal financial management and the need for solid professional instruction for students entering the financial planning industry.

John is founder and principal of the successful wealth management team, Adams, Gut & Associates of Northwestern Mutual in Akron. He graduated from The University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was active in several student organizations as a student, including Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

John continues his UA affiliation as a member of the executive committee of The University of Akron Foundation Board of Directors, is former chairman of the College of Business Administration’s (CBA) Advancement Council, and previously served on UA’s National Alumni Board and the CBA Alumni Board. In 2010, he received UA’s Dr. Frank L. Simonetti Distinguished Business Alumni Award. Recently, John and his colleagues welcomed an intern from the CBA financial planning program. They also work with several local hospital residency groups on financial literacy.

Dr. Sarah Adams graduated Summa Cum Laude from UA with a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and chemistry, where she was inducted into Phi Sigma Alpha and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies, among her other distinctions. She earned her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1993 and is a member of the national Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Sarah is a pediatrician with Akron Children’s Hospital Pediatrics, in Hudson. She also is an associate clinical professional at NEOMED and is a Fellow and Executive Board member of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Sarah’s passion for community outreach and promoting mentally and physically healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents led her to volunteer as a speaker for the Ohio Chapter of the AAP and surrounding communities. She has previously received the Outstanding Child Advocate Award in Hudson, and The University of Akron Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College Distinguished Alumni Award. John and Sarah have two sons, Gabriel and Benjamin.

Students entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year who have been admitted to a Finance major in the College of Business Administration and who are interested in pursuing a financial planning career are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to a female student or a student from a diverse ethnic background in order to help support diversity, equity and inclusion in the financial planning program. Applicants must have maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 or higher in their studies. Candidates and will be identified by the College’s Department of Finance faculty and shared with Mr. Adams for review and recommendation. Should Mr. Adams be unavailable or unable to participate by the College’s deadline, the Department of Finance chairperson will select recipients. Preference is to award one $5,000 scholarship as funds are available.