Diane Patrick (Texas politician)

Diane Patrick (born January 9, 1946[1]) is a politician from Texas. She currently serves as the District 3 representative on the Tarrant County College District Board of Trustees.[2] Prior to that, she served as a Republican in the Texas House of Representatives for District 94 from 2007 to 2015, and on the Texas State Board of Education from 1992 to 1996.[2][1]

Personal life edit

Patrick earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor University with a major in elementary education.[2] She then went on to the University of North Texas where she earned a master's of education and then a Ph.D. in philosophy/educational administration.[2]

With her husband, Ned, she has two children, Craig and Claire.[1] She lives in Arlington, Texas and is a member of the Junior League.[1]

Career edit

Patrick taught at Texas Christian University and at the College of Education at the University of Texas at Arlington.[2][1] She was also a teacher in the Birdville, Richardson, and Waco, Texas Independent School Districts.[2][1]

At CPC Millwood Hospital, Patrick was the director of adult program services and at Bedford Meadows Hospital was the director of education, in-patient, and adolescent services.[2]

Charitable works edit

Patrick has served on a number of boards, including the Texas Center for Educational Research, the Arlington Museum of Art, the Children's Advocacy Network, and the Texas Education Reform Foundation.[2][1] She was the president of the Center for Professional Development and Technology's executive committee and a county co-chair for March of Dimes.[2][1]

Public service edit

From 1981 to 1992, Patrick served on the Arlington Independent School District Board of Trustees.[2][1] From 1992 until 1996, she was on the Texas State Board of Education, and on May 6, 2017, she was elected to the Tarrant County College Board of Trustees.[2] She beat the incumbent, Sean Hayward, in a special election for the District 3 seat with 68% of the vote.[2] She had been appointed to a seat on the board in 2016.[3]

From 2007 until 2015, Patrick was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 94.[2][1] To win the seat, she defeated 19 year incumbent Kent Grusendorf, who disparaged her as an "educrat."[4] She opposed school vouchers, while Grusendorf supported them.[5] While in the legislature, Patrick served on the Appropriations, Higher Education, and Rules & Resolutions Committees.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Diane Patrick's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Diane Patrick, Ballotpedia, retrieved July 12, 2020
  3. ^ "Members of the Board". Tarrant County College. October 25, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Cox, Patrick L.; Phillips, Michael (February 22, 2010). The House Will Come To Order: How the Texas Speaker Became a Power in State and National Politics. University of Texas Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-292-78241-9. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Maxwell, William; Crain, Ernest (April 2, 2007). Texas Politics Today. Cengage Learning. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-495-41067-6. Retrieved July 12, 2020.