Patrick Mara, Republican Party chairman

Patrick is a consultant specializing in political campaigns, advocacy and small business development. He previously served as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Republican Committee, America’s only fully urban state GOP organization. The first Republican ever elected to the DC State Board of Education, Patrick represented Washington, DC’s, most racially diverse ward for a full four year term. A staunch advocate for parental choice in education, he was the Board’s sole representative to the National Association of State Boards of Education’s Government Affairs Committee where he helped shape national education policy. Long active in politics, Patrick ran for DC Council and served as an Alternate Delegate (2008) and Delegate (2012) at two Republican National Conventions. With over two decades of campaign experience, Patrick has worked and volunteered on dozens of campaigns at the local, state, Congressional and Presidential levels. Earlier in his career Patrick worked on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator; at the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as a contractor; and later lobbied both the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal government on behalf of technology, education and energy clients.

Patrick currently serves on the Washington Latin Public Charter School Board of Governors which is among DC’s highest performing schools.  Before earning an entrepreneurship-focused MBA from Babson College, Patrick graduated from Marist College with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Political Science. He is past President of the Marist College Alumni Executive Board and past Board of Trustees alumni representative. Patrick and his wife live in the Randle Highlands neighborhood of Washington, DC with their two young sons.