Meet Patrick

Patrick is a civil rights attorney, former Hyattsville Council Member and former member of SEIU 1199, husband, and a parent of two Prince George’s County Public Schools students. Growing up without a father, Patrick and his sister watched as their mother struggled to find work that paid family-sustaining wages. They helped her clean office buildings on the weekends and eventually lived with their extended family, who helped to support them until Patrick became the first in his family to attend college, and later law school. These experiences instilled in Patrick the values of family and community, and have driven his professional and personal work to eliminate systemic cultural and structural barriers as an advocate and policy expert at the local, state, and federal levels.

As a teenager, Patrick attended youth-mission trips organized by his church, where various faith-based youth groups gathered to share, inspire, and serve the community. They repaired homes for neighbors in need – those on low- or fixed incomes, with disabilities, and the elderly. They built wheelchair ramps, replaced toilets, and patched holes in floors. After one of these trips, a member of his church sent a note of thanks to Patrick along with the words of John Wesley, the founder of the United Methodist Church:

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

This simple but fundamental sentence stuck with Patrick and has become a guiding principle – to do all the good I can, everywhere, all the time. To make an impact on the world through activities big and small – and to help others do the same. To speak up in the face of injustice and be part of the solution.

It is this guiding principle that has driven his work in Maryland and at the federal level to inspire and empower the next generation with the tools to lift every family and person in our communities and the clarity around why we must do so with urgency to benefit the greater good.

Civil Rights Lawyer

Patrick is a fierce advocate for civil rights and a progressive voice for hard-working families. As a civil rights lawyer, he works to eliminate the cultural and structural barriers that too many underrepresented populations face today. As a member of the Hyattsville City Council, he championed voting protection and expansion and authored historic immigration and human rights laws. As a dad who didn’t have a father growing up, he is driven to leave behind for his children an acute understanding of both their privilege and their ultimate responsibility in the world.

Patrick is a committed ally and national expert on LGBTQ policy and law. He’s advocated for policy change in federal administrative agencies and at the White House on issues that impact the lives of LGBTQ people, especially those who are low-income or people of color. He was also incredibly proud to write, introduce, and ultimately pass the first non-discrimination law in Hyattsville, the Hyattsville Human Rights Act. He was a lead analyst of Supreme Court cases that impact the LGBT and progressive communities and led a coalition of LGBT advocacy organizations that worked with the Department of Justice to implement the first federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity – the Violence Against Women Act of 2013.

Patrick also led a statewide direct legal services organization that served hundreds of low-income Marylanders annually on matters from family law and health care access to employment discrimination and legal name change. At the federal level, Patrick was a Steering Committee Member of a progressive coalition that re-drafted and lobbied for the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2013, a bill that focused on filling health equity gaps to further support the goals of the Affordable Care Act.

  • Civil rights lawyer, successfully changing law and policy on prisoner's rights, LGBTQ family law, insurance coverage, and education.
  • Experienced analyst of Supreme Court cases that impact progressive communities.
  • Advocated for policy change in federal administrative agencies and at the White House on issues that impact the lives of LGBTQ people.
  • Ran a statewide direct legal services organization that served hundreds of low-income Marylanders annually on matters from family law and health care access to employment discrimination.
  • Led efforts on the Hyattsville City Council to reject photo ID voting requirements, pass non-citizen voting in municipal elections and lower the voting age to 16.
  •  Wrote and led efforts to pass the Hyattsville Human Rights Act of 2013.
  • Volunteer election protection lawyer for both of Obama's presidential campaigns.
  • Member, Hyattsville Complete Count Committee, Census 2020.
  • Advisory Board Member, Generation Citizen Vote16USA, 2016-Present.

Policy Expert

Patrick has worked at the federal, state, and local levels with organizations, leaders, and advocates to craft policies that serve hard-working and underserved families.

On the Hyattsville City Council, Patrick led efforts to pass voter protection and human rights legislation, and was a champion for paid family and medical leave policies. He wrote and passed the Hyattsville Human Rights Act in addition to laws lowering the voting age to 16 in the City of Hyattsville and allowing non-citizen residents of the City to vote in municipal elections. He worked with CASA and city police to craft the Hyattsville Sanctuary City law in a way that met everyone’s needs while holding the line on our values.

Patrick supported the policy-level implementation of the Affordable Care Act and has advised federal, state, and local policymakers on issues ranging from housing and homelessness to employment discrimination and veteran issues, non-discrimination policies, prison and detention policy, voter protection, immigration, reproductive justice, racial justice, women’s rights, and disability rights.

  • Member, Hyattsville City Council, 2013-2017
  • Member, Prince George’s County Municipal Association, 2013-2017
  • Member, City of Hyattsville’s Education Facilities Task Force, 2019-2021
  • Authored chapter in a college-level textbook on minority voting in the United States.
  • Managed and set policy priorities for a coalition of 25 LGBTQ advocacy organizations under the Obama administration.
  • Worked with the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to develop a survey of state agencies that serve youth to assess their existing level of training and service, oriented toward LGBTQ youth.
  • Led a coalition of LGBT advocacy organizations who worked with the Department of Justice to implement the first federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity - the Violence Against Women Act of 2013.

Honest Public Servant

Patrick has long been a champion for local government that is truly transparent and accountable to its residents. He has fought tirelessly for robust public participation and engagement in the legislative process and is committed to creating an open government that is easily accessible and collaborative to better meet the needs of every family, business, and child.

In addition to serving his community on the Hyattsville City Council, Patrick has worked in various volunteer and professional capacities as a change agent, seeking to broaden access to the ballot box, protect workers’ rights and ensure families have the resources they need to earn family-sustaining wages, provide children with a world-class education, and plan for the future. He served his neighbors and co-workers as a proud Member of SEIU Local 1199 and has been a Member of the Hyattsville Elementary School PTA since 2013. He has also championed efforts to facilitate more robust civics education in high schools to better prepare and educate our youth on the power of representative democracy.

Patrick is a former Ethics Commissioner in Hyattsville and served as Council Liaison to the Ethics Commission.

  • Led campaign finance reform in Hyattsville.
  • Proud member and Union Delegate for Service Employees International Union, Local 1199, where he represented 28 Bargaining Unit Members in negotiations with management to successfully negotiate a 3-year contract that included increased fringe benefits and no increase in health insurance premiums for Members.
  • Young Elected Officials Network, Maryland State Director, 2014-2016.
  • Received the Young Elected Officials Network Leadership Award, 2015.
  • Served on Hyattsville Ethics Commission
  • Hyattsville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association, Member, 2013-Present
  • Member of the Hyattsville Zombie Run Steering Committee since 2019, a 5k and family fun run fundraiser that has raised over $100,000 for local elementary schools in recent years.
  • Led an array of voting reform efforts on the Hyattsville City Council, including establishing more early voting dates, creating our own city voter registration roll to expand who can register to vote in city elections, passing a same-day voter registration law, and shaping campaign finance reform.

A Record of Service

  • Civil rights lawyer, successfully changing law and policy on prisoner's rights, LGBTQ family law, insurance coverage, and education.
  • Experienced analyst of Supreme Court cases that impact progressive communities.
  • Advocated for policy change in federal administrative agencies and at the White House on issues that impact the lives of LGBTQ people.
  • Ran a statewide direct legal services organization that served hundreds of low-income Marylanders annually on matters from family law and health care access to employment discrimination.
  • Led efforts on the Hyattsville City Council to reject photo ID voting requirements, pass non-citizen voting in municipal elections and lower the voting age to 16.
  •  Wrote and led efforts to pass the Hyattsville Human Rights Act of 2013.
  • Volunteer election protection lawyer for both of Obama's presidential campaigns.
  • Member, Hyattsville Complete Count Committee, Census 2020.
  • Advisory Board Member, Generation Citizen Vote16USA, 2016-Present.
  • Member, Hyattsville City Council, 2013-2017
  • Member, Prince George’s County Municipal Association, 2013-2017
  • Member, City of Hyattsville’s Education Facilities Task Force, 2019-2021
  • Authored chapter in a college-level textbook on minority voting in the United States.
  • Managed and set policy priorities for a coalition of 25 LGBTQ advocacy organizations under the Obama administration.
  • Worked with the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to develop a survey of state agencies that serve youth to assess their existing level of training and service, oriented toward LGBTQ youth.
  • Led a coalition of LGBT advocacy organizations who worked with the Department of Justice to implement the first federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity - the Violence Against Women Act of 2013.
  • Led campaign finance reform in Hyattsville.
  • Proud member and Union Delegate for Service Employees International Union, Local 1199, where he represented 28 Bargaining Unit Members in negotiations with management to successfully negotiate a 3-year contract that included increased fringe benefits and no increase in health insurance premiums for Members.
  • Young Elected Officials Network, Maryland State Director, 2014-2016.
  • Received the Young Elected Officials Network Leadership Award, 2015.
  • Served on Hyattsville Ethics Commission
  • Hyattsville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association, Member, 2013-Present
  • Member of the Hyattsville Zombie Run Steering Committee since 2019, a 5k and family fun run fundraiser that has raised over $100,000 for local elementary schools in recent years.
  • Led an array of voting reform efforts on the Hyattsville City Council, including establishing more early voting dates, creating our own city voter registration roll to expand who can register to vote in city elections, passing a same-day voter registration law, and shaping campaign finance reform.