Raynona P. Patrick
President
Raynona P. Patrick brings over 35 years of invaluable experience as an educational leader to her role as a board member. Her journey began within the Detroit Public School system, where she dedicated herself to fostering academic and personal growth for students. After a distinguished career, she retired in October 2007, leaving behind a legacy of excellence.
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Throughout her tenure, Raynona demonstrated remarkable expertise in supervising and coordinating comprehensive guidance and counseling programs for grades K-8. Her leadership extended to overseeing a team of 175 middle-school and elementary counselors, ensuring the provision of top-notch support and guidance to students at crucial stages of their educational journey.
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Raynona's impact transcended the confines of her school district, as she actively collaborated with national, state, and local government officials. Together, they implemented impactful initiatives aimed at promoting essential life skills and fostering early college awareness among students. Her dedication to enhancing educational opportunities for all students has left an indelible mark on countless lives.
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With a proven track record of success, Raynona is adept at supervising planning and personnel activities. Her ability to navigate complex organizational challenges and progressively assume higher levels of responsibility underscores her commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in education.
As a board member, Raynona P. Patrick continues to bring her wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to the forefront, driving positive change and shaping the future of education for generations to come.
Lawrence C. Patrick III
Chairman of the Board
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Lawrence C. Patrick III is a polymath who has held executive leadership roles in the technology, marketing, news media, entertainment, music, health care and education industries. As an entrepreneur he has deep experience building startup, non-profit, social sector, charitable and advocacy organizations.
He has successfully led diverse, intergenerational teams working to solve complex, large-scale business problems, public policy issues and urgent social threats. And he has consistently achieved superior results in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
Joseph E. Patrick
Vice Chairman of the Board
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Joseph Patrick is an accomplished educator and senior consultant with a passion for fostering academic success and compliance within the education sector. With a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Michigan State University, Joseph has dedicated over two decades to empowering high school and middle school students.
Throughout Joseph's career, he has been deeply involved in Detroit's educational landscape, collaborating with numerous schools to enhance learning experiences. His commitment to educational excellence extends beyond the classroom, as he has served as a senior consultant specializing in charter school compliance and coordination. Joseph possesses a keen understanding of the complexities of educational policies and regulations, ensuring schools meet necessary standards while optimizing student learning environments.
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As an employment specialist, He played a pivotal role in guiding graduating high school seniors and students with their GED toward meaningful career paths. His expertise lies in matching students' skills and aspirations with suitable opportunities, facilitating their transition into the workforce with confidence and purpose.
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Driven by a desire to empower students and contribute positively to the educational landscape, Joseph remains dedicated to facilitating academic growth, compliance, and successful career transitions for young learners.
Ayana B. Patrick
Treasurer
Ayana Patrick is a dedicated professional with over 15 years of impactful experience in the non-profit sector. Her expertise lies in personnel and project management, complemented by a passion for fostering innovative ideas and nurturing collaborative teams. Ayana has a proven track record of excelling in leadership development and adeptly communicating to achieve both qualitative and quantitative outcomes. Her work ethic is rooted in core values of inclusion, asset-based learning, and an unwavering commitment to social justice.
For more than two decades, Ayana has passionately dedicated herself to empowering individuals to reach their highest potential. She has worked extensively with youth development educators, contributing to the design and implementation of successful strategies both inside and outside the classroom. She has also supported large non-profit organizations in finding better ways to engage their stakeholders. With a keen focus on leadership development and personnel management, Ayana consistently seeks to create opportunities for success in every endeavor.
In addition to her contributions in the non-profit sector, Ayana is also a small business owner committed to creating sustainable and eco-friendly products and packaging. This commitment reflects her dedication to making a positive impact not only in her professional sphere but also in the wider community through environmentally conscious practices.
Goldie E. Patrick
Secretary
For over 20 years Goldie E. Patrick has been passionately working, living, and building artistic collaborations in theatre. A graduate of Howard University (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA-Playwriting), Goldie is actively working in writer's rooms and developing new works, while serving as the Director of Grants and Programming at the Dramatist Guild Foundation. Goldie has a unique skill in imagining and interrogating the world of the characters and the play through her "triple threat" skills and experience as a cultural worker, writer, and director. With a zealous approach to developing and collaborating, Goldie has cultivated a vast, culturally inclusive lens and praxis to her work. Working thoughtfully as a playwright and television writer, and director to model past contributions to the canon of works that illuminate the Black experience while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of form, style, and aesthetic. The unique intersection of her work as a writer, director and cultural worker is indicative of her holistic approach to her writing.
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With a fresh voice and perspective echoing the multilayered experiences of Black womxn and girls, Goldie brings a rigor of her craft to perfectly blend with a cultural ingenuity. As a bold public advocate for Black womxn and girls, she has gained international recognition for her work as founder, and Producing Artistic Director of F.R.E.S.H.H. Inc Theatre Company, for over 5 years. Her work at FRESHH includes the development of a unique curriculum which includes a playwriting program for early career playwrights, culturally competent acting and devising techniques, and a series of Hip Hop Theatre curricula.