Kevin J. Wade, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, is reaping the benefits of a lifetime spent in education. The Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel named Wade a 2022 TRIO Achiever because of his previous participation in TRIO and his outstanding community work.
Born and raised in one of the poorest areas in North Carolina, Wade entered the TRIO Upward Bound program while attending Southeast Halifax High School – the first of its kind in Halifax County. Wade was actively involved in his high school, community, and Upward Bound. As a first-generation college student, he did not fully understand the steps needed to prepare for college and TRIO stepped in. The program connected Wade with classes at Edgecombe Community College and St. Augustine’s University, and his hard work led to a full academic and community service-based scholarship to ECSU.
While attending the university, the 2002 alum participated in the Student Government Association, served as a volunteer in the Student Support Services program, and became the first Mr. Elizabeth City State University in the history of the institution. Wade joined the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and credits his interest in joining the fraternity to his two TRIO mentors, Mr. Antonio Stephens and Dr. Armstrong. Wade has been a member of Omega Psi Phi, Inc. for 22 years.
After graduation, Wade served as the Coordinator of Leadership Development and Commuter Student Engagement at ECSU. After working in this role for three years, he transitioned to Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, and served in various roles including Director of Student Leadership Development, Sophomore Experience Coordinator, Honors Program Coordinator, and University Retention Coordinator.
Wade also served as Program Director for Student Support Services at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) in Largo, Maryland, for five years. During this tenure, he implemented a programmatic redesign, enhanced supplemental instruction, and created an elevated cultural experience for participants, which led to a revitalized signature and retention program at PGCC. In addition, Wade’s commitment and leadership to this role is exemplified in the Annual Performance Report used by the Department of Education to measure the success of TRIO programs.
He went on to serve as Dean of Student Services at Laney College in Oakland, California, and ultimately returned to his alma mater to serve as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Wade is currently completing his doctoral degree in higher education at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Wade’s dissertation focuses on how community colleges utilize the TRIO program’s services to help students overcome barriers and complete their degree.
Wade’s matriculation through a TRIO program equipped him with a passion to support first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities with a focus on retention, persistence, and graduation. A caring and eloquent man from humble beginnings, Wade is always willing to lend a helping hand and pull others up the ladder to success.
TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. An estimated 790,000 low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities — from sixth grade through college graduation — are served by 2,800+ programs nationally. TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention.
ECSU’s TRIO programs serve the Elizabeth City community at-large and include Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services and the Educational Opportunity Center.
