Mark Tade retires from HFC; embarks on new adventures

Release Date
Mark Tade headshot

On Monday, June 30, HFC Assistant Director of Employee and Labor Relations Mark Tade will retire from the College. This is the third, and according to his plans, final time in his career when he will retire.

“When I started working for HFC in February of 2021, I was already twice retired. I had just retired after 20 years with U.S. Steel, and I had previously retired from the U.S. Navy after 25 years of service. Since I started at HFC, my plan has been to work for a few years before I would truly retire and give up full-time work,” said Tade.

His decision to retire at this point has been driven by two factors. The first was achieving a key milestone: In May, Tade became eligible to receive his Navy pension and the Navy retiree health care plan. The second factor was his family.

“My father-in-law’s health started to deteriorate late last year. My wife, Cathy, and I decided that we would likely need to start spending significant time at his home in Mount Pleasant, SC, which is near Charleston, to care for him. My wife resigned from her job, and I determined that I would accelerate my retirement plans,” explained Tade. “Unfortunately, my father-in-law passed away in March, but we now plan to move into his house as our retirement home. Though neither of us are from South Carolina – I grew up in California, and my wife grew up in Maryland – we actually met there when I was in the Navy. We now have several friends and family in the area, in addition to some fond memories.”

From the Navy to the law

A San Diego native, Tade has lived in Detroit since 2019 with Cathy, to whom he’s been married since 1991. They have two adult children, Lily and Jess, who reside in Washington state and Chicago.

Tade attended the University of California-Berkeley, earning his bachelor’s degree in legal studies and political science. He attended Berkeley on a Navy ROTC scholarship, earning his commission as a Naval officer upon graduation. He went on to earn his juris doctor from the University of California-Davis King Hall School of Law. He is a California Bar Association member, a DDI Certified Facilitator, and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification.

During his Navy career, Tade served as a nuclear submarine officer. After completing the Navy’s Nuclear Power School, Prototype Reactor Plant Operations Training, and Submarine Officer Basic School, he was assigned to the ballistic missile submarine USS Von Steuben, where he served in multiple capacities. Later, he accepted a three-year recall to active duty from the reserves to serve as an Emergency Preparedness Officer in New Orleans, where he coordinated emergency response preparations, primarily focused on hurricane preparedness. He earned the rank of Commander before retiring.

“After 5½ years in the Navy as a nuclear submarine officer, I decided to leave active duty and attend law school,” said Tade. “As an undergraduate at Berkeley, I had double-majored in legal studies and political science, and I took several courses at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. That definitely planted the seeds for me to want to become an attorney. I found the complexities of law and our legal system fascinating, and I could see myself making a career in the legal profession. As it turned out, after passing the bar exam and spending a couple of years practicing litigation, I steered in a different direction, ultimately landing in labor relations at U.S. Steel.”

Labor law turned out to be fascinating

Ironically enough, Tade didn’t take any labor law courses while in law school, and he never really considered it an area of interest. When he returned to active duty with the Navy, he took on an assignment as the Command’s negotiator in resolving grievances with a local government employees’ union, and he found that he enjoyed it.

“When I completed my recall and U.S. Steel offered me a position in labor relations, I decided to give it a try. I discovered that I enjoyed labor and employee relations much more than I had enjoyed civil litigation. Unlike litigation, which is inherently adversarial and often devolves into discovery battles and tactics to drive the opposing party into a favorable bargaining position rather than achieving a fair outcome based on the merits of the dispute, I found labor law very satisfying,” said Tade. “In labor law, the parties share a common interest in the success of the institution that both parties serve. Throughout every dispute, grievance, negotiation, etc., the parties have to continue working together. Plus, they have to live with the outcome. You don’t just chalk up a win and walk away. This completely changes the dynamics of the interactions, making them in some ways much more challenging than litigation. I truly enjoy working in that environment, working through those challenges.”

His proudest accomplishments at HFC have been negotiating seven contracts since he came aboard in 2021.

“The opportunity to lead negotiations for the College on seven collective bargaining agreements really stands out to me,” said Tade. “Every negotiation is different. There are always challenges, and the process can be grueling, but I am very proud of the work that our several negotiating teams accomplished. I think we made meaningful progress on several fronts to enhance the contracts, as well as the relationships between the parties.”

The human side of his legacy

Tade has served as a mentor to HFC Labor Relations Specialist Raya York, whom he also supervises.

“Working with Mark Tade over the past two years has been an incredibly enriching experience,” she said. “His empowering leadership and deep well of knowledge have shaped my understanding of labor and employee relations at the College in lasting ways. I wish him all the best in retirement and hope that he knows that I will carry forward the insight, wisdom, and knowledge that he has so generously shared with me.”

Cliché as it may sound, Tade will miss the people at the College.

“I mean that sincerely,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at HFC – it’s quite a different environment than the steel mills where I spent the previous 20 years. Our HR team has been fantastic, and I’ve enjoyed working with, learning from, and interacting with everyone at HFC – from our executive leadership to our union leaders to the vast assortment of HFC colleagues who continue to advance the mission of this important institution.”

After they move to South Carolina, Tade and his wife also plan to continue their avocation of traveling the world.

“In 2023, my wife was selected for a U.S. State Department fellowship, teaching English at Chiang Rai Rajabaht University in Chiang Rai, Thailand. She traveled throughout southeast Asia, presenting at conferences, running language camps, and conducting teacher training,” he said. “Though being so far away was not ideal for either of us, I had the opportunity to spend my vacation time visiting her and exploring the other side of the globe. In addition to Thailand, we also visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines. We are travel enthusiasts, so we maximized the opportunities presented by her fellowship assignment.”

HFC Executive Director of Human Resources Dr. Lisa Bradley has worked closely with Tade throughout her time at HFC.

"It has been my pleasure to work with Mark,” said Bradley. “He brought a wealth of knowledge and skills to the HR team in his role as Assistant Director of Employee and Labor Relations. Mark had prior experience that included leading a global HR function, which meant he had familiarity with just about every HR challenge. This experience, coupled with his knowledge of labor laws and calm demeanor, contributed to his demonstrated ability to lead through challenging employee and labor relations situations in a level-headed manner while maintaining positive relationships with all. I wish him the best in his next chapter. It’s certainly a well-deserved retirement, but Mark will be sorely missed.”


Farewell gathering

There will be a gathering to wish Mark a happy retirement on Monday, June 30, in the HR conference room on the 3rd floor of the Welcome Center, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please stop by to have some cake and punch, and to thank Mark for his service.


A note about retiree stories

We value the contributions of all our retirees. When we become aware of a colleague's official intent to retire, we reach out to them to ask if we can write a story about them, to share their contributions and allow others to recognize and appreciate them. Some of our retirees decline to participate in the retiree story series. We respect their wishes and their privacy. If there is a retiree whom you want to see recognized in this series, you can talk to that person, or reach out to HFC Communications. We will let you know if the person has declined to have a story published. In some cases, we might not be aware of their plans to retire.

—HFC Marketing and Communications