Melissa Wade has been the Director of Forensics at Emory University, and the head coach of the school's award-winning policy debate team, the Barkley Forum, since 1972. She has been awarded every national coaching award in her field, and has been honored for her contributions to minority and women's participation in debate and forensics. Wade is the author of over two hundred debate-related publications and has coached several national debate champions.
In recent years, Wade has been an important leader in the development of the Urban debate league movement, first in Atlanta and then throughout major urban areas in the United States.
She is originally from Houston, Texas, and is a graduate of Emory with undergraduate and multiple graduate degrees.