Wade is a Vietnam Era U.S. Navy Veteran. He took a management role in 1963 and has carried the management mantel since, spending the past 35 years of his professional life in organizational development work. He has served in management roles from first line supervision, middle management and in senior management positions, both in line and staff operations, including Human Resources. His most treasured accomplishments have been in the field of management consulting. He has been the “Fly on the Wall” hearing all and seeing all and assisting executives with getting their operations ship shape.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Organizational Management from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and received his Master of Science degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. He has extensive post Masters work in Education and Human Resources Development.

His teaching resume includes psychology courses at Chattanooga State, University of Tennessee, Phillips College, Southern Adventist University and Roane State Community College, and Industrial & Organizational Psychology at Tennessee Technical University. He has conducted thousands of executive and management seminars throughout the United States including West Virginia.

Wade taught executive, second and first level management courses for the American Management Association and Padgett-Thompson Seminars from 1981 to 1999. He has developed more than 700 3-hour management modules for organizations in 28 states and has served as an organizational consultant to hundreds of private enterprises since 1975, conducting organizational assessments, renewal and design processes to assist corporate executives improve productivity, and cost-effective training methods including standards based training systems. He has assisted many new companies with their startup operations, writing policies, and hiring start up employees and staff. Some of his clients were Magic Chef (Matag), Brock Candy, Planters Snacks, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, President Baking, BNB Nuclear, Genentek, Griffin Pie, Home Federal Savings and Loan, Sweet Candy Company, Standard-Coosa-Thatcher, Dupont, Department of Energy and many more.

Wade has authored several management books; The Stewardship of Executive Management & The Stewardship of Command. He has also authored a four-volume history of the evolution of the Christian Church and his first novel–USS Card. All books are available on Amazon.com.

Wade was married to the former Sharon Amore Thomas for over 55 years. She passed away on 12 January 2018. They have two sons, Mark Johnson, a family practice physician in Powell, Tennessee, and Lance Johnson, a senior executive with a major properties management firm. Wade and Sharon have four grandchildren.