Chicago native William Wade, Ed.S., takes his place on the Coahoma Community College campus as the newly appointed director of Educational Outreach.

Wade ('89) is delighted to be returning to the prosperous grounds where he served in the capacity of Student Government Association president. While his expertise took him to various states across the nation, many of his family members remain Mississippians, making the Magnolia State a second home for him and his siblings.

"I never had a choice of where I was going to go to college. This was always it; Coahoma kind of became our family college," said Wade.

The Tiger alumnus has built a long-running career leading improvement plans as an administrator at K-12 schools in locations including Atlanta, Georgia, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

With an overarching aim to deliver exemplary educational services, he seeks to steer the office in a direction where students are substantially supported by implementing the culture of practicing empathy.

"We have to be really aware of what everyone just went through and the adjustments that we had to make," he noted.

He looks forward to supporting adjunct instructors and extending the dual enrollment option to high schoolers. Wade will provide oversight for eLearning and evening class offerings. Retention is also a challenge he's ready to face.

"We're not talking about kids anymore; these are young adults, and they have options, so we have to make sure we have robust, innovative programming to make sure we hold their attention and attract more. I think that's my biggest job, to sustain what we have and build on it," Wade explained. "I've seen a lot of great things, but I've seen the challenges, too. So, I think I'm well-prepared for the challenges that I may face while doing this job, but it's exciting to be at this level working with young people that are right at the threshold of stardom."

Wade brings a wealth of experience, spanning nearly 30 years, to his new role. He has worn several hats, including teacher of secondary math courses and athletic coach for varsity basketball and baseball teams in then-Memphis City Schools, academic coach, principal, superintendent, and chief executive officer of an educational consulting company. Notably, he received an Emmy after successfully merging two large Philadelphia, Pennsylvania high schools and being featured in the 2014 documentary "We Could Be King," which highlighted the merge of the two schools' rivaling football teams. The project financed by Dick's Sporting Goods remarkably raked in more than $12 million in funding for youth sports.

To lower dropout rates, he applied a self-created turnaround model to five schools within the Philadelphia School District and had the privilege of detailing successes that resulted as a guest lecturer for the Summer Institute for Educators hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2011. Wade carries a Bachelor of Science in secondary mathematics education from Alcorn State University, a Master of Education from Christian Brothers University, an Educational Administrative Certification from Jacksonville State University, and an Education Specialist from Lincoln Memorial University. Additionally, he is a member of The Association for Supervision and Curriculum and the Gamma Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Coahoma Community College President Dr. Valmadge T. Towner is highly receptive to the competencies Wade offers.

"Mr. Wade has worked for nearly 30 years in k-12 educational settings across the country. Most specifically, he has worked extensively with high schoolers who take college courses. He has served as an adjunct for colleges. He is familiar with innovative approaches to provide educational services to students," Towner detailed.

"Ed Outreach and the pandemic have summoned the institution to incorporate ways to teach students as well as ensure that learning occurs at high levels. He is familiar with creating a dialogue with principals, school counselors, and central office staff. Hopefully, the institution will be able to provide him the necessary support to build upon the success that Ed Outreach has experienced during the tenure of Mrs. Letha Richards, who is providing Mr. Wade with onboarding assistance and training before she retires from the college."

Wade is engaged to Alesha Lambert. He is the father of two beautiful children, Arielle, 24, and William, 22, both of New Jersey.