He grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia and attended McIntosh High School, graduating in 2002.
In 2001, Tad placed fourth at the Junior World Cup race in Prague, Czech Republic.
That August, Tad placed 8th at the US National Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina.
His teammate Benn Fraker was selected to represent the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In addition to kayaking, Tad works as an air traffic controller at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.