About Patrick

I was born and raised in Mankato and am a proud product of the Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) and graduate of Mankato East High School. Today, my connection to the district is even more personal: my wife is a teacher at Mankato West High School, and our two elementary-aged daughters attend our schools.

I am completing my first term on the School Board and currently serve as board treasurer. My professional career has centered on education and workforce policy and community leadership for nearly 20 years. I began with the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., representing governors on federal education and workforce issues. I later returned home to serve as Vice President of Greater Mankato Growth, directing public-policy work and advancing regional priorities with business, government, education, and nonprofit partners. I subsequently led government relations and policy for Western Governors University - the nation’s largest nonprofit university in the country.

I now serve as Senior Director of Government Affairs for Cengage, where I lead government affairs and public policy for an education company providing learning materials and digital resources to nearly 16 million students and adult learners around the world. I earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, Moorhead and a graduate certificate in public management from George Mason University.

These experiences—as a former student, current parent, teacher’s spouse, education-policy professional, community leader, taxpayer, and school board member—reinforce my belief that great schools make great communities.