Preston Wade, the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Wiley & Wilson since 1980, began his career as a draftsman and field surveyor in the firm's Lynchburg, Virginia, office during the summers of 1953 and 1954 while he was a student at Virginia Tech. After earning his B.S. in civil engineering in 1955, Mr. Wade spent another summer at Wiley & Wilson and then returned to his alma mater for a year as a post-graduate student and instructor of applied mechanics.



Called to active duty in the U.S. Air Force in 1956, Mr. Wade served as a maintenance engineer and then as a planning engineer until 1958, when he retired as a First Lieutenant and rejoined Wiley & Wilson. His work with the firm of architects, engineers and planners has included engineering survey and design work involving storm drainage improvements, water supply and sewage disposal facilities, dams and highways, and other planning, design and inspection projects. He also has been a consultant on more than 30 local government projects throughout his career.



In 1964, Mr. Wade became an associate member of Wiley & Wilson and was named a Partner and Director of Project Management and Construction Administration in 1969. He was named President in 1973 after the firm was reorganized as a professional corporation, and in 1980 he was elected Chairman and CEO. Today, Wiley & Wilson has offices in Lynchburg, Richmond, and Virginia Beach and about 115 employees.



Mr. Wade is registered as a Professional Engineer in 19 states and the District of Columbia. He has served his profession as a former Director of the National Society of Professional Engineers and President of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers (VSPE), and in addition is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Virginia Association of Professions, Tau Beta Pi, and Chi Epsilon. VSPE recognized Mr. Wade's contributions with the society's Distinguished Service Award in both 1971 and 1980, and named him the Virginia Engineer of the Year in 1982.



Also an active community leader, he is a long-time member of the advisory board of the Salvation Army in Lynchburg, former board member and past President of the Greater Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, past board member of the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center and of the YMCA of Central Virginia, and a former member of the advisory board of the Miller Home of Lynchburg. He has been a deacon, elder and Sunday school teacher at the Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church.



In service to his alma mater, Mr. Wade has been a member of the College of Engineering Committee of 100 since its inception and is a member of the Ut Prosim Society, President's Council Membership Committee for Lynchburg, and the Virginia Tech Economic Development Advisory Board. In the past, he has served on the boards of directors for the Alumni Association and the Virginia Tech Foundation and as the Annual Fund Chairman for the College of Engineering. In 1984, he established the L. Preston Wade Endowed Professorship in Engineering,



Preston Wade and his wife, Gale, live in Lynchburg and have three daughters and three grandchildren.