living leadership

people are in a hurry all the time. We just felt like people here were kind.”

Roberto and Patricia made a decision; he would accept the job and they would make Fargo their home, temporarily of course.

“Probably like many other people who move to this area, we said we’d be here for 2 to 3 years and then we’ll move south,” says Patricia with a smile.

After working with the program for a year, the director was so impressed with Patricia’s drive and skill with the children, that she encouraged Patricia to get a degree in education. “She said ‘We would love to give you a full-time opportunity in the immersion program,’” recalls Patricia. “But I never saw myself as a teacher. I was worried I would go crazy being with kids all day instead of my usual couple hours.”

Finding Her Place

While at the mall one day with her children, Patricia was approached by a woman delighted to hear her speaking Spanish to Sebastian. The woman invited Patricia to join the International Women’s Club where she could meet women from all over the world who, just like her, had landed in Fargo. “I got to meet some of these fantastic women who were very well educated or refugees or whatever their story was. It was amazing.”

Through that club, she was also asked to volunteer in the Moorhead School District’s Spanish Immersion program. “I was a para-professional and worked a couple of hours a day helping the kids in kindergarten and first grade with reading and math all in Spanish.”

Still, the offer sparked a dormant flame in Patricia - her desire to go back to school and return to the work force. Getting another business degree didn’t really appeal to her, but a dinner table passion she shared with her husband did.

“My husband and I always had really long conversations at dinner about healthcare so I kind of got my interest peaked about it,” Patricia says.

Patricia began researching healthcare administration programs and found a top-notch program right in her own backyard, the Healthcare Administration major at Concordia College. She enrolled as a part-time student, taking classes when Sebastian was in school and Cami was in daycare. And when it came time for her final year in 2003, she did what every Concordia student does in order to graduate, she began looking for an internship.

The program director came to Patricia and told her she should pursue the internship available at a local clinic. The clinic was a private, non-profit health care provider called the Family HealthCare Center [FHC].

Soon after Patricia completed her internship and graduated from Concordia, FHC reached out to her for two contract projects. One involved overhauling the interpreter program, which including finding grants, creating policies and developing training manuals for interpreters in 40 different languages. Patricia’s model is still in effect today.

Dr. Napoleon “Lucho” Espejo, Medical Director at the Family HealthCare Center, says he was especially intern to executive director FHC opened in 1993, offering much-needed health care to a specific population of patients from Cass and Clay County. More than 12,000 patients a year use its services; most are uninsured or underinsured, many are homeless. People can get comprehensive primary care services including medical, maternity, dental, lab and x-ray.

Patricia says she immediately fell in love with the organization and what FHC did. “I thought it was very neat. It was filled with challenges but I had the opportunity to follow the executive director during the internship, learn about their homeless program and basically see all that they did.” impressed with Patricia’s work ethic. “She was very, very focused and disciplined.”

Others saw Patricia’s passion for FHC too. So, when the clinic’s Executive Director stepped down in 2006 and the Board of Directors began its search for a new candidate, the management team at FHC nominated Patricia to be the clinic’s team leader.

“I was very overwhelmed, but at the same time, very honored,” Patricia says. “Most of my management team was more senior than me and had been with the organization a lot longer and had more experience. But I told them if you’ll help me, then I’ll do it.”

A new Executive Director was named 6 months later. But shortly after that person’s arrival it became clear things weren’t going to work out. The Board of Directors launched a second search, but Patricia was winning them over every day and, in the end, the Board didn’t have to look far at all. Patricia became the interim Executive Director in 2007 with the expectation that she’d stay in that position for 3 to 6 months.

“But the board never really looked!” she exclaims with a laugh. “So 3 months into it they called me and said ‘We think you can do it.’ I said, ‘You’re taking a big risk. I don’t have the experience.’”

That was 4 years ago. Since then, Patricia has helped build FHC’s reputation as a family-centered community securing funding to build a new, expanded clinic. Next summer, Patricia’s dream, and the dream of countless FHC employees, Directors, patients and donors, will finally come true.

The clinic is undergoing a $15.5 million dollar renewal that will double its space, increase its patient base by 6,000 a year, and provide new services such as mental health and optometry.

Dr. Espejo says Patricia has been the driving force behind making the Board’s vision a reality. “She is the main person behind it. For years we’ve been talking that we have a critical task but our place is too small for that operation. Patricia started the search for the opportunity... and was critical. Many times I saw her health center, and under her leadership, patient numbers have grown five-fold.

“I believe FHC would not be heading in the direction we currently are without Patricia Patron leading the way. She is a gift to FHC and a true visionary,” co-worker Sue Parkos said.

Fhc Vision

Patricia has always believed that FHC could do more for patients, if the clinic only had the space, equipment and staff to do so. That’s why, for the past several years, she has devoted a significant chunk of her job toward in her office after hours. It was a very difficult process, very stressful. But she kept working through it all.”

Patricia has also become one of the most well-respected non-profit leaders in the region and has grabbed several awards for her achievements including Mujeres Unidas[Latin] Woman of the Year and YWCA Woman of the Year in her category. Her husband says the recognition is quite deserved.

“I knew when she started moving in the organization she could be [Executive Director] but a Latino woman in Fargo leading it? Well, 4 years later and more than

6.6 million dollars in grants, you can see it,” Roberto says proudly. “There are no words to describe a woman that for the last 2 years dreams, sweats, eats, cries and sees the future of FHC as a leading, caring organization. She believes underserved, uninsured people deserve to have a bright, new, efficient, caring, knowledgeable and beautiful organization.”

Cami thinks her mom has done an “awesome” job as a mom and as a leader at her job. “Although she is extremely busy, she always finds time for us!” Cami exclaims. “Her job, I think, must be so hard but I know she has earned it with what I like to call ‘Awesomeness!’”

And Roberto is quick to dole out his appreciation, too.

“As a mother I admire the example and dedication to our kids. Despite being a workaholic she stayed home for 5 years with the kids. She truly sacrificed her goals, hopes and long life plans for me and then for the kids... Now is her time to shine.”

Colombia Meets Fargo

One of the ways Patricia maintains a close relationship with her kids and husband, and pays tribute to her heritage, is through establishing traditions incorporating her Fargoan and Colombian lives.

Sebastian and Cami attend school within the Fargo Catholic School Network just as Patricia went to Catholic school in Colombia. The family also incorporates Spanish music and prayer into their Holy Week celebrations during Christmas and they try to Skype with relatives for Colombian holidays like ‘Day of the Witches’ [Halloween]. “It’s like a different way to see the same holiday,” Patricia says.

The same goes for American holidays like Thanksgiving, especially since the whole family is now American citizens. Patricia and Roberto went through the Naturalization process 2 years ago. “We adopted Thanksgiving as our own,” Patricia says. “Our daughter was so excited when we had turkey for Thanksgiving. ‘Finally!’ she goes.”

Patricia also ensures she keeps her Colombian roots, and makes sure her children have the chance to grow their own, by visiting her home country and family at least once a year. It’s a trip both kids look forward to.

“I love going to Colombia, it’s awesome seeing where she grew up,” Cami says. “And I get to see all of my relatives!”

a leader’s home

No matter where Patricia is - Colombia, Fargo - or what she is doing - earning a degree, building a family, completing an internship, growing an organization - there is always one constant she relies on. A quality she prays her children are watching.

“My hope is that they learn what I learned from my dad. That hard work does pay off. He taught me that you need to work hard to be rewarded,” she says. “The other one is learning. Learning to me is very important. I always tell my kids what you learn in life, or from school, nobody is going to take away from you. You can lose all your stuff, but no one can ever take away what you’ve learned.”

Efren says he is “the most proud dad in the world” and he knows Patricia is able to accomplish anything she puts her mind to. “I am happy to see my daughter accomplishing the goals she dreamt of. I am sure she will continue to cultivate and harvest many triumphs to better serve society and to continue to make her family proud.”