Hi! I'm Pat and I am running for Missouri State Senate. Here is a little about me.
I was raised by a single mother and my grandmother. Growing up, my family didn't have much, but we did have a lot of love, and strong values. I learned the values of working hard, fighting for what you believe in and serving others.
My Mother, Lola, is my hero. She always put family first. And her story is one of sacrifice and service. She is a lifelong public servant who hustled to make ends meet and put food on the table for my sister and me. She taught me to work hard and chase my dreams. She instilled in me values of compassion and doing the right thing.
Despite my Mom’s hard work and sacrifice my family couldn't afford college, but I had a dream and my family’s determination. I applied to every scholarship I could, and scraped together enough to go study business. After graduating from college, I wanted to make the way forward easier for the next generation to follow. So, I passed up big corporate jobs to help rebuild communities through financial literacy initiatives.
After a couple years, I felt called back to service. Knowing I would need more education to accomplish the big goals I had set for myself, I enrolled at Columbia University in New York. In my second year, I was selected to enter the U.S. Department of State as a Commissioned Foreign Service Officer under President Barack Obama.
I served overseas tours in Pakistan and Mexico where I worked on the frontlines to keep American borders safe and strengthen US relations abroad.
In 2015, it was finally time for me to return home. Wanting to continue my work on financial literacy, I ran for Missouri Treasurer, where I earned support from some of the most respected news outlets and political leadership in the state.
Since 2017, I have served Kansas City as a civic and business leader who has changed the landscape here at home. Over the last 7 years, I have created countless new jobs, supported small business and spurred millions in investment throughout the entire KC region.
The results speak for themselves. Since 2017, I have taken on some of the most challenging issues facing Kansas City today. Working with civic and business leaders, I have:
Created thousands of good paying jobs and supported working families
Helped grow Kansas City's economy and grow small businesses
Supported many minority and women owned businesses and trained tomorrow's workforce.
While I am proud of this work, I saw that the needs of our neighborhoods were even greater. So I joined boards and commissions, where I worked to improve community health outcomes while at the Health Forward Foundation and on the board of University Health, Kansas City's only safety net hospital.
In board service, I worked to improve the lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and assault and to prevent sexual violence in our community while at the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA).
Appointed by then KCMO Mayor Sly James in 2017, I helped leveraged millions of dollars of investment to remove blight in Kansas City as a Commissioner with the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority with the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City.
In 2020, my grandmother Venita and my father Bobby died. Venita was 95, lived a full life and provided countless support and guidance to me throughout my life. My father Bobby died at 67 of lung disease. I remember saying, "In the painful Covid year of 2020, where everyone felt hopeless and afraid, Dad brought so much joy, culture and love of community.” I can't describe how deeply I mourn his passing still.