Patricia Patrón – Director at large 3

Patricia’s passion is to positively influence organizations by developing business and operational models that lead to efficient, sustainable organizations improving the quality of life and dignity of everyone. Patricia is a healthcare executive with a broad experience in all aspects of organizational management, planning, networking, building relationships and coalitions, fundraising, talent management, and non-profit financial and operational management. She started serving as the Chief Operations Officer at NATIVE HEALTH in August of 2015. NATIVE HEALTH is an Urban Indian Health Center and a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving patients in the Phoenix Metropolitan areas.

Between 2004 and 2014, Patricia was actively engaged with Family HealthCare (FHC) in Fargo, ND. FHC is a non-profit FQHC with multiple programs and sites including homeless health, medical, dental, behavioral health, and optometry services, pharmacy, and a lifestyle and wellness medicine program. Patricia was the Chief Executive Officer at FHC for seven years.

Patricia is originally from Colombia, South America. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN in 2004. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia in 1994. Patricia has a passion for diversity issues and access to healthcare for all. She was selected as the YWCA’s “2010 Woman of the Year in Advocating for Equality.” In 2009, she received the “Latino Leadership Award for Woman of the Year” from Mujeres Unidas/Women United for outstanding community leadership. Patricia also received the “Star Award” from Dakota Medical Foundation for exceeding goals in ensuring the provision of healthcare services to noninsured/underinsured individuals and positively impacting the health of people in ND. She enjoys reading, exercising, spending time outdoors hiking, and having conversations at the dinner table with her two children, Sebastian and Camilla, and her husband, Roberto.

Patricia Patron Bio