Pat Wade
“I will miss the laughs, sharing stories about weekends, vacations, and everyday life with my incredible colleagues.”
Q
You have been with The Council for 30 years and the magazine since its beginning. What was it like to start a magazine from the ground up with founding editor Rick Pullen?
A
My first assignment was to grow the meetings database for our circulation. So, I contacted every member about the magazine and asked who at their location should receive it. Everyone was excited about the magazine and having an industry voice, and so the circulation came in very strong.
We began to track circulation, obtain authorization through the postal office, schedule internal audits, and validate our circulation. Rick would recruit freelance writers, artists, and printers, and I would negotiate with them. I processed billing, the budget, finances, and special projects with the printers. So, those were our beginning days, and it started with two people and grew to what it is today.
Favorite Actor: Denzel Washington
Favorite Musician: John Legend
Favorite Book: The Bible (“I have also started reading books that I’ve collected over the years. Many of them are written by friends and acquaintances, and I want to take the time to read every single one of them, cover to cover.”)
Favorite Restaurant In The Washington D.C. Area: “My greatest restaurant of all time is at my son’s table. He is an excellent cook. He is talented, and I enjoy meals that he prepares better than any others I’ve had.”
Favorite Weekend Activity: “I have 12 wonderful grandkids—most are adults now—and six god-grandkids. They’re my joy, and I love experiencing life through their fresh, innocent perspectives. A weekend in the park, on the deck, or in the backyard with them while someone else is on the grill is my happy place.”
Q
Tell us about your childhood.
A
Though I was born in Washington, D.C., I was raised in North Carolina’s Piedmont region with my grandparents—a formative chapter in my life that shaped my values and guided many of my life choices. My grandparents were skilled farmers and wise teachers. The working years began around age 9, gardening, helping with the crops and animals, so I quickly realized farming wasn’t my life’s calling.
Q
Who were your heroes?
A
My heroes were my uncles: great storytellers who shared wisdom long before TVs and phones became an influential voice in the home. One of my favorite lessons from them was the metaphor of “sand in the hand.” It taught me that relationships, like sand, must be gently embraced and allowed to breathe to endure.
Q
Speaking of relationships, I’ve heard you’ve been keeping a secret from your husband, Dennis.
A
Yes, I am planning to retire at the end of this year and I haven’t told him, and it’s been the hardest thing to do. We have been married for 42 years, so this has been extremely difficult to keep from him. He is quite a jokester, so this is mine on him. When we are scheduled to return to work in January, I will give him this article to read.
Q
What are you most looking forward to in 2025?
A
I have family and friends who are facing some challenges right now, and I want to be there for them. I look forward to being of service to my neighbors— whoever might cross my path and need the help I can give. Another aspiration is to connect seniors with services that benefit them. As a caregiver for my mother, I witnessed many left behind.
I also want to travel the 50 states. And we’re planning a trip to Rome in 2025, because we learned of a family member in the military whose grave we’ve never been able to find, but someone located it and it’s a military cemetery that has been lost over the years.
Q
What will you miss most about working at The Council?
A
I will miss the laughs, sharing stories about weekends, vacations, and everyday life with my incredible colleagues.
Q
Any words for your colleagues as you prepare for the next phase?
A
As I step away from decades of dedicated work and shared purpose, I am filled with gratitude and pride, and it has been an honor to support and learn from the clients, the Leader’s Edge team, and people who have entrusted me to serve their needs. To the clients, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your business. Your trust has fueled me with more dedication, and your success has been my joy, and it has been my privilege to serve each one of you. To the Leader’s Edge team and The Council family, you are a remarkable group of individuals who have transformed professionalism into passion, resilience into strength, and camaraderie into true friendship. Thank you again for the laughter, the challenges, and the shared victories. You have taught me the value of integrity and the beauty of teamwork, and I am especially proud to have been part of such a legacy. And as I embark on this new chapter, I carry with me all the memories, the lessons, the friendships formed here. Thank you for everything.
