Profile: Chris Wade, Braddock District Candidate

At a Glance

• Born: Massachusetts
• Education: University of Notre Dame, Government and International Relations, 1994. MBA, George Mason University, 2009  
• Family: Married, three children
• Public Office: None

As a manager at a Tyson’s Corner financial services business, Braddock District Board of Supervisor’s candidate Chris Wade lives in traffic.

“I live and understand the traffic program,” Wade, 39, said. “Tyson’s Corner is going to be vital to Fairfax County’s redevelopment. My first-hand experience will make me an effective supervisor.”

Wade is up against Janet Oleszek for the Democratic nomination in the Braddock seat. The incumbent in the race is Republican John Cook.

To help alleviate the traffic issues, Wade said that he would want local managers to be trained on how to manage remote workers.

“Telecommuting is a nice word, but you have to have the right leadership and career goals for the employee,” Wade said. “We could put together a forum for companies are already doing this model effectively.”

“Professionally, I work with companies to improve their inefficiencies and make better decisions,” Wade said.

When asked whether his lack of experience in public office may concern voters, Wade pointed out that Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and 37th District State Senator Dave Marsden have endorsed him.

“They have known my opponent longer then they have known me and they are endorsing me,” Wade said.

In the last few months, Wade had to dispel rumors that he is actually a Republican. As Patch reported at the time, the rumors stemmed from his voting record in databases owned and maintained by the Republican and Democratic parties in Fairfax County.

The Republican database had Wade designated as a strong Republican due to his votes in past Republican primaries. The database indicates that Wade voted in general elections in 2003 to 2006, 2008 and 2009 and that he voted in a Republican primary in 2005 and the Republican presidential primary in 2008.

“The only thing that I can say is that I’m a Democrat, if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be running as one,” Wade told Patch at the time.

Personal Life

Wade grew up in South East Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1994 and moved to Prague, where he taught English for a year and a half. Wade knows some Czech, German, and French, though he is quick to point out he is not completely fluent in all of them.

“I did a study abroad program in London and I visited Prague so decided I wanted to go and live there,” Wade said.

When Wade moved back to the States, he was hired with DigitalNation, an information technology company, as a sales manager. He later went on to be the vice president of sales before the company was acquired .

Wade now works as a manager at financial management company MorganFranklin, and also as an adjunct professor at George Mason University’s School of Management.

Wade has been married for nearly 10 years and has three children. He is a parishioner at Good Shepherd Church, where he is a youth minister.

Mark Devoll has known Wade for the last two years through the church.

“He’s a person who is easy to talk to and values friendship,” Devoll said.

Wade also volunteers as a soccer coach for the Braddock Road Youth Club, where Devoll’s son is a player.

“There was a wide variety of players there and there were some kids who had special needs,” Devoll said. “Seeing how Chris interacted with those kids and made them part of the team was great.”

To find out more information about Chris Wade, view our social media guide to the elections and our ongoing political coverage.