Patrick O’Donnell

Chief Executive Officer

Headshot of Patrick O'Donnell

As the Chief Executive Officer of Making Waves Education Foundation, Patrick is responsible for setting the strategic vision and direction of the foundation, building and cultivating a high-performing team, and leading the team to advance its vision of college access and success. Patrick started his career as a Teach For America teacher in Los Angeles, teaching 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and English a Second Language. He went on to hold a variety of leadership roles at Teach For America, most recently serving as the Executive Director of Teach For America – Indianapolis and as the Vice President of National Development. Before joining Making Waves Education Foundation, Patrick and his husband spent two years teaching at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara, where he also led strategic and cultural change management processes and spearheaded a redesign of recruitment and hiring strategies. Patrick graduated with a BA from Boston College, an MA in Education from Loyola Marymount University, and an MBA & MA in Public Policy from Georgetown University.