Diane Patrick: The First Lady of Massachusetts Comes Home to Queens College

Diane Patrick ’72 First Lady of Massachusetts Diane Patrick has a long record of excellence and distinguished professional and public service. A teacher, lawyer, mother and active member of her community, Ms. Patrick has extensive experience in many walks of life.

Ms. Patrick spent her early childhood sharing a Brooklyn brownstone with her parents, siblings, and extended family. Her grandfather was the first African-American elected to public office in Brooklyn, and co-authored the Baker-Metcalf bill, the nation’s first law enacted to prohibit discrimination in public housing.

Attending NYC public schools from 1st grade through college, Ms. Patrick graduated with a degree in early childhood education from Queens College of the City University of New York and spent five years teaching elementary school in New York City. When the city’s bankruptcy of 1976-77 forced severe cuts in public resources, she decided to go to law school.

She is now a partner at Ropes & Gray LLP in their Labor & Employment practice group. She has been named by Chambers USA as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business; has been selected as one of Massachusetts Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America; and was recently selected by the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as one of 2012’s top women lawyers. The Network Journal named Ms. Patrick among its 25 Influential Black Women in Business in 2010, and the Massachusetts’ Women’s Political Caucus awarded Ms. Patrick its Abigail Adams Award for her outstanding commitment to equal political, economic and social rights for women.

Throughout her life and professional career, Diane Patrick has dedicated herself to various communities, and has served on the Boards of Jane Doe, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, among others. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Posse Foundation the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and is an overseer at The Epiphany School.

Ms. Patrick has been an outspoken advocate in the Commonwealth’s ongoing effort to end domestic violence, and has been actively engaged with families, agencies and law enforcement to support victims and to identify and address the root causes of domestic abuse. She has been married to Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick for over twenty-five years and has two daughters, Sarah and Katherine.