was born in Cumberland, Maryland. He graduated from Bishop Walsh High School in 1975. He is a graduate of Allegany College of Maryland in Criminal Justice and also Frostburg State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. He attended the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia studying Criminology and Criminal Justice. He has received additional academic credit from Baltimore City College in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1978, he joined the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office. In 1979, he completed basic law enforcement training at the Western Maryland Police Training Academy. In 1983, he graduated from the Western Maryland Correctional Training Academy at Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1984, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to the detention center as the Correctional Administrator. In 1989, he was transferred to the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force as an investigator. In 1992, he was returned to the patrol division and was assigned as a shift supervisor.

He is a graduate of the Rural Executive Management Institute, the National Sheriff’s Institute, National Institute of Correctional Management, and Instructor’s Training School through the U.S. Department of Justice. A 24 year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, he won the general election in 1994 to assume the position of Sheriff, in 1998 he was elected to a second term and recently elected to his third term in office. Sheriff Goad is also a June 1997 graduate of the, 189th Session, FBI National Academy on Leadership and Management.

Sheriff Goad is a Past President of the Maryland Sheriff’s Association, were he also serves on the Executive Board of the association. Sheriff Goad is also a member of the Cumberland Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #90, the National Sheriff’s Association, where he was elected in June of 2002 to serve on the Board Of Director for the association, as well as serving on five (5) national committees for the association, the International Association Chiefs of Police, the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, the MD/DELAWARE Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates, and the United States Deputy Sheriff's Association. Sheriff Goad also serves as Director of the Allegany County Fire Police Association, President of the Dapper Dan Club of Allegany County, as well as being a member of the Cumberland Fraternal Order of Eagles, a member of the Cumberland Outdoor Club, a life member of the Barrelville Outdoor Club, and member St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Sheriff Goad and his wife have two daughters, and two grand children and are life long residents of Cumberland, Maryland.