Vangela Wade

Vangela Wade, President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice (MJC), is a leader in the fight against Mississippi’s culture of injustice. She works to dismantle systems of racist oppression and to ensure equity in the lives of all Mississippians. Prior to MCJ, Vangela built a diverse and distinguished resume as a lawyer. Understanding the need to build generational economic stability, she created a client-centered legal practice focused on building family wealth legacy and protecting generational property interests through estate planning. Her background also includes working as a law clerk with the Mississippi Court of Appeals, a special prosecutor with the Madison/Rankin County District Attorney’s Office, and as a corporate defense attorney with local and national employment law firms. She served as an adjunct law professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law and has advised public and private employers and organizations in matters involving diversity and fair employment practices. Her board service includes Mississippi Today, the Land Title Association of Mississippi and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. She earned her BA from Mississippi State University and her J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law.