Chad Lucas

Diversity and Equity Advisor, Government of Nova Scotia

Bachelor of Journalism (Hons.), Journalism and English, 2001

Be able to think in bigger terms about your life.

Journalist, author and communications advisor Chad Lucas uses storytelling to bring people together.

For someone with dreams of being a reporter, Chad Lucas’ working life began exactly where a graduate would want to end up. Chad’s four-year journalism degree and combined English honours led him straight into a sportswriter job with the Chronicle Herald, where he covered basketball and interacted with fans through “one of the first blogs the Chronicle Herald ever had.” Lucas achieved his aspiration of becoming a reporter, but eight years in he was already thinking “Ok, what’s next?”

What was next was a variety of interesting projects with the provincial Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs. Chad’s work in the civil service has continued through historic moments, such as the public apology issued by Premier Stephen McNeil to former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. Remembering the October 2014 apology, Lucas recalls that “to be able to witness that and have a tiny role in pulling that day together – it was a really moving experience.”

Approaching 20 years out from graduation, Lucas is a father of four, an occasional lecturer, and a full-time advisor with Communications Nova Scotia. Reflecting on his dynamic and varied life, Chad says, “sometimes the thing you think that you want is just the first step.”

He notes how studying the liberal arts prepared him to build the life and work that he wanted. “More than ever, I think we’re in an era where people seldom lock onto one career path and follow it through from beginning to end. I know I certainly haven’t. I think the liberal arts gives you the broad flexibility to be able to think in bigger terms about your life, your career, and where you’re headed. There may not be one path; there may be some zigs and some zags – the liberal arts can help prepare you for that.”

In fact, Chad has recently taken a new direction. His debut middle grade fiction book, Thanks a Lot, Universe, is a coming-of-age story between two boys, set for publication in May 2021. In a way, this was a natural move for Chad, who has already published several of his short stories. “Fiction has always been a love of mine,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller.”

Updated: Jan. 2021