About Patricia
Previous to putting the shingle out, Patricia served as the President/CEO of the Northwest Leadership Foundation and is very proud of the network of leaders who were beneficiaries and alumni of NLF’s services. She also served at the cities of Tacoma, Federal Way and United Way of King County, assisting in the allocation and monitoring of funds for community-based services.
Patricia demonstrates her belief in collectivism through civic engagement by giving to community need in multiple forms (charities, business-event patronage, financial assistance), participating in protests/marches/planning committees, and strategic partnerships. She gathers with her spiritual community, but prioritizes her family and their privacy.
A graduate of Iowa State University, Pat is sought out as an industry leader in capacity building and the engagement of under-represented communities. Patricia’s TED talk, “Wisdom as a Means for Transformation,” asserted that effective leadership cannot exist apart from community. A deep passion for emerging leaders in overlooked places drives her work to infuse anti-oppressive practices and justice to the heart of systems design.
Pat (she/her) is a recognized leader with decades of experience in leadership development and capacity building. She is a strategist, highly analytical and an empathetic listener. Patricia is Managing Partner/Principal Consultant at Colemon and Associates, a business management consulting firm. Patricia has a proven ability to lead diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by mobilizing diverse work groups towards a common goal.
Patricia earned an esteemed reputation for designing and implementing model programs aimed at dismantling systemic disproportionality. The initiatives focused on issues such as health disparities, the school to prison pipeline, the educational achievement gap and civic engagement. Her philosophy is based in research that confirms when those most impacted by a social issue are involved in the design and implementation of the solution – it has the greatest chance of success and sustainability.