Deval Patrick

Ohad Elhelo, Deval Patrick, Lisa Lynch, President Ron Liebowitz

Left to Right: Ohad Elhelo ’16, MAief’17, Deval Patrick, Provost Lisa Lynch, P’17, President Ron Liebowitz

Deval Patrick served two terms as the 71st governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, from 2007 to 2015. He is the first African-American to be elected to that position.

Patrick is currently a managing director at Bain Capital Double Impact, which pursues investments that deliver both a competitive financial return and a significant positive social impact.

He also serves as chair of the advisory board for Our Generation Speaks, an innovative fellowship program that, in partnership with Brandeis and MassChallenge, helps young Israeli and Palestinian leaders start sustainable ventures that can create jobs, build bridges and nurture hope in their communities.

Raised by a single mother on the South Side of Chicago, Patrick came to Massachusetts at age 14 when he earned a scholarship to Milton Academy. After graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he clerked for a federal appellate judge, then launched a career as an attorney and a business executive, becoming partner at two Boston law firms, and a senior executive at Texaco and Coca-Cola.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Patrick to the nation’s top civil-rights post, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Justice. During his tenure, Patrick led a sweeping investigation of an outbreak of arsons at predominately black churches throughout the South. Until the probe into 9/11, it was the largest investigation ever mounted by the U.S. government.

In his first bid for public office, Patrick, a Democrat, was elected governor of Massachusetts. At the State House, he oversaw the expansion of affordable health care to more than 98 percent of the Commonwealth’s residents, launched initiatives stimulating clean energy and biotechnology, won a national Race

to the Top grant, and steered Massachusetts from a recession to a 25-year high in employment.

He is the author of the books “A Reason to Believe: Lessons From an Improbable Life” (2011) and “Faith in the Dream: A Call to the Nation to Reclaim American Values” (2012).