Tony McDade is a seasoned leader in social enterprises in both Carolinas. He retired in 2020 as Executive Director of United Ministries in Greenville, having formerly served as Executive Director of Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN, the local Family Promise affiliate, 2003-2016). GAIHN, a shelter-to-housing ministry with homeless families, joined with United Ministries in mid-2016 as a premier example of how synergy and capacity of collective impact can benefit participants, agencies, and the community at large.

Tony is a graduate of Furman University (B.A. in history, 1979), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1982), and Columbia Theological Seminary (PCUSA, Doctor of Ministry, 2001). An ordained Baptist minister, Tony has served as an educator and administrator in several congregations, including First Baptist Church, Statesville, NC (1996-2003); First Baptist Church, Clemson, SC (1987-1996); and Oxford Baptist Church, Oxford, NC (1982-1987).

Tony’s wife, Cam (’80), is retired after 36 years as a special education teacher, most recently at Fork Shoals Elementary School. Their daughter, Jennifer Murphy (B.A., ’06; M. Ed., ’08), is a teacher at Robert E. Cashion Elementary; her husband, Jeremy (B.A., ’06), is an administrator at Sterling School/Charles Townes Center; and their daughter, Ainsley (age 10), will be in the Furman Class of 2034! Their son, Andrew, is a social worker in Greenville.

Tony and Cam are natives of Union, SC, where Cam’s late father, Dr. R. Hayne Rivers (’53), was pastor at First Baptist Church. He served as a Furman trustee in the late 1970s and was succeeded upon his death by Cam’s mother, Anne V. Rivers (’53). Cam’s grandfather, Dr. D. M. Rivers, was a Furman trustee in the late 1940s, serving on several committees that helped to plan the new Furman campus.

Creating a community with people from all walks of life and offering practical compassion, where it is most needed in society, are among Tony’s aspirations for ministry and life. At United Ministries, he provided strategic leadership for a superb team of thirty social work and administrative professionals whose endeavors distinguished United Ministries locally and across our state.

Tony continues to offer consultation with nonprofit entities in SC while serving on a number of philanthropic boards including Hollingsworth Funds. He enjoys hiking, tennis, and historical literature, and is an accomplished Geocacher. He and Cam are master naturalist tour guides at Lake Jocassee...a cool retirement gig!