Wade A. Hinton

Wade A. Hinton is an attorney, entrepreneur, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expert with a career spanning more than two decades in both the private and public sectors. Hinton’s professional background includes serving as the inaugural vice president of inclusion and diversity for Unum Group, city attorney for the City of Chattanooga, and deputy general counsel for Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations. He was the first Black city attorney in Chattanooga, reflecting his commitment to advancing opportunities for underrepresented communities. Hinton founded Hinton & Company after more than 20 years as a Fortune 250 vice president, automotive general counsel, and city attorney, where he managed economic development initiatives that brought thousands of jobs to the region and delivered measurable financial results.

As CEO and founder of Hinton & Company, Hinton leads a business services firm specializing in inclusion, diversity, and equity. The firm provides fractional chief diversity officer services and leadership development offerings tailored to organizations’ unique needs. Hinton & Company partners with organizations navigating culture transformation, strategic change, and high-stakes communications, serving clients in insurance, financial services, chambers of commerce, community foundations, government, and executive leadership.

Hinton is also the founder of Board Connector and co-founder of Designation One, platforms designed to connect historically underrepresented talent to nonprofit board opportunities. His civic involvement includes board service for Think Tennessee, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee Aquarium, and Chattanooga State Community College Foundation. Hinton has received gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions across multiple administrations and has served as director of the Hamilton County Title 6 Civil Rights program and as a consultant to Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey on diversity and minority business initiatives.

Hinton’s work has been recognized in legal, civic, and business communities. He has been named a Top 100 Diversity Officer by DiversityFirst, one of the 40 best advocates and business leaders under 40 by the National Bar Association and the Network Journal, and is a Tennessee Bar Foundation Fellow and Tennessee YLD Fellow. His honors include the Walter Williams Achievement Award, Diversity Community Champion for Justice Award, Urban League of Greater Chattanooga Whitney M. Young Award, Chattanooga NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, and Tennessee NAACP 45 Under 45 Award. He has participated in programs such as Presidential Leadership Scholars, Leadership Tennessee, and Leadership Chattanooga, and was a member of Harvard’s inaugural Young American Leaders Program. Hinton was also selected as a Marshall Memorial Fellow by the German Marshall Fund and served on the GMF Future of U.S. German-Relations Task Force.

As a keynote speaker, Hinton addresses topics including government, law, business, leadership, entrepreneurship, DEI, the future of work, diversity and inclusion, and Black heritage. His signature talks, such as "State of Inclusion: No More Business as Usual," "How to be an Inclusive Organization," and "Action & Accountability… Using Data to Drive Change," draw on his legal expertise, executive leadership, and experience building inclusive cultures. Hinton emphasizes increasing diversity in the legal profession, promoting inclusion within organizations, and creating pathways for underrepresented individuals to access leadership roles.