Thomas Rogers Wade

For more than five decades, Wade played a quiet but influential role in shaping Georgia’s civic, political, and educational institutions.

He served as a mentor to generations of young Georgians and as a trusted advisor to many of the state’s most prominent political and civic leaders. He was the quiet, humble man behind many of the men and women who made Georgia great.

While at the University of Georgia, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and the Demosthenian Literary Society. Most importantly, it was there that he met Marcia Bryan of Tampa, Florida, who became his wife of more than fifty years, his partner in life and work, and a respected civic leader in her own right.

Wade first became involved in public and civic affairs early in his career when he worked for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. That experience grounded him in the intersection of business, government, and community leadership and allowed him to build personal relationships with political and civic leaders in all of Georgia’s one hundred and fifty-nine counties. Those friendships were the foundation for his lifelong work for Georgians.

In 1972, Wade helped found Leadership Georgia, a pioneering statewide program created to identify and prepare emerging leaders from across Georgia’s regions and sectors. Many of Georgia’s current leaders’ participation in that organization led them to having Wade as a mentor.

In 1973, Wade entered national public service as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Herman E. Talmadge, serving until 1980. During those years, he developed a reputation for wisdom and discretion - qualities that would later make him a valued confidant to governors, legislators, business executives, and other leaders across Georgia.

After returning to Georgia, Wade was named vice president of Watkins Associated Industries, a diversified national company with holdings that included transportation and communications. In 1985, Wade opened the Atlanta office of the public affairs firm Edington, Wade and Associates, representing over half of the Fortune 100 companies.

In 1997, Wade was named president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a role he held until his retirement in 2009. He then served on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2024. Under his leadership, the Foundation became one of Georgia’s most influential voices on public policy. He also was a senior partner of Capitolink Inc.

In 2010, Governor Nathan Deal named Wade as chairman of the Deal gubernatorial transition team. Governor Deal later appointed Wade as a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, where his service included vice chairman of the Board. He also served on the boards of the Georgia Research Alliance, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Trucking Association, the U.S.O., and the Fanning Leadership Institute.

Wade served a pivotal role as Chairman of the Governor’s Defense Initiative. He also was a trustee of the Richard B. Russell Foundation for decades, helping preserve Georgia’s political history and promote civic education. His additional service included the Gordon College Foundation, the P.A.G.E. Foundation, and the advisory board of the University of Georgia’s School of Engineering.

Wade’s contributions were widely recognized. He received the Blue Key Service Award from the University of Georgia’s Blue Key National Honor Society, the Freedom Award from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Patriot Award from the U.S.O., and he was inducted into the Georgia Trend Most Influential Georgians Hall of Fame. Most recently, Wade was the 2025 recipient of the Dooley Friends of the UGA Libraries Award and, to commemorate the award, a room in the Russell Special Collections Building was named the Rogers and Marcia Wade Meeting Room.

Rogers Wade will be remembered most for the lives he shaped through mentorship and wise counsel. His legacy endures in the institutions he strengthened and the countless Georgians who benefited from his quiet counsel.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 10:00am – 11:00am immediately followed by a memorial service at 11:00am at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mount Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs, GA 30328 with light refreshments to follow. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the University of Georgia Foundation for the Rogers and Marcia Wade Library Experiential Learning Fund mailed to the Office of Gift Accounting, The UGA Foundation, One Press Place, Athens, Georgia 30601.