Wade Lairsen
Member Since
2011
Wade is currently a Vice President at Goldman Sachs where he manages the firm’s 10,000 Small Businesses initiative in the West. 10,000 Small Businesses is $500 million investment to help small businesses create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services.
Previously, Wade served as Senior Director at Gen Next – an exclusive organization of executives and entrepreneurs focused on addressing the most pressing challenges of the day. At Gen Next, Wade was responsible for managing day-to-day operations as well as advising on the organization’s growth strategies.
Prior to joining Gen Next in 2009, Wade served four years in Washington, DC at the United States Agency for International Development, the White House and other national and international development and political efforts.
Wade was appointed by President Bush to serve at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he provided strategic guidance to the Assistant Administrator in ensuring the Presidents' humanitarian and development agenda in Europe and Eurasia was being pursued and implemented successfully. While at USAID, Wade also traveled the world advancing the President and Mrs. Bush's international trips to 5
continents in a period of 10 months. Specifically, advancing these trips afforded Wade first-hand, real-life experience and knowledge with issues such as AIDS relief and Genocide recovery in Rwanda, the Burmese Refugee crisis in Thailand, and a strategic breast cancer awareness partnership with the Government of Panama.
In his full-time capacity at the White House, Wade served as the President’s liaison to the nation’s mayors and county officials as Associate Director in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In this position, Wade was charged with cultivating relationships with the more than 90,000 local elected officials across the country. Ensuring that local government had a voice in the White House, Wade effectively managed communication with these local elected officials and focused on building coalitions of mayors that supported the President's free trade agenda.
Prior to joining the White House, Wade served at the Republican National Committee throughout Ken Mehlman’s Chairmanship. As Associate Director of Government Affairs, Wade worked with the business community and trade associations, House and Senate Leadership, and State and Local Governments to build the Party's infrastructure and institutionalize the get-out-the-vote efforts that made the 2004 Election an historic success.
Wade joined the Bush/Cheney '04 Campaign at its National Headquarters in the summer of 2004 in the Political Department where he worked with the National Field Director on measuring GOTV efforts and compiling daily reports for senior campaign officials.
Originally from Dallas, Wade resides in Santa Monica and enjoys traveling, trying to surf, and spending time with family and friends.