Patricia Mota
Having experienced the education and career-opportunity gaps that exist first-hand was eye-opening and shocking for Patricia Mota, as a high school student, and then as a first-time professional. Since then, she has made it her personal mission to close these gaps. Patricia is a passionate, innovative trailblazer, dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Latinx/a/os, women, and underrepresented groups across various stages in their education and career. With nearly 15 years of demonstrated success in leading this personal mission via building effective programs and strategic partnerships, Patricia works strengthen and expand the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement’s (HACE) mission, brand, and impact across the country, leading with the vision
to empower others to achieve their highest potential for themselves and the communities they serve.
Patricia serves as the President & CEO for the HACE, leading strategy, fundraising & development, professional and student leadership programs, and expanding organizational reach on a national scale. Patricia strives to engage experienced professionals as mentors and advisors to create a multi-generational network to support Latinos’ career growth around the country. Upon taking up this leadership role, Patricia increased operating budget by 40% in less than two years of the new role, and nearly 70% in less than 3 years, increased membership from 35,000 to 64,000, along with strengthened program processes and staff capacity.
Prior to two promotional roles, Patricia served as the Director of Membership Outreach, and as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, where Patricia led and grasped all aspects of the organization. During her time at HACE, Patricia has enhanced new and existing corporate and strategic partnerships, bringing in at least $1.5 million in new partnerships, increased membership by 67%, launched the Mujeres de HACE women’s leadership program from one to eight cities, expanded the El Futuro High School program, kick- started a pilot of the HACE Leadership Academy – Nonprofit Series, among various other milestones, impacting the lives of over 25,000 students and professionals along the way. She is also a sought-out speaker, having presented at conferences such as the Forum on Workplace Inclusion, UnidosUS (formerly NCLR), the United Nations and for companies such as American Express, BP, Kraft, Phillips 66, PayPal, and Visa.
Patricia has a strong history of serving the Latino community, as reflected by her service on various nonprofit boards and committees, and several accolades, most recently serving as a board member on the Illinois Treasurer Latino Advisory Council and the Indiana University Latino Alumni Association Board, and most recently named Chicago’s Most Powerful Latinos by Crain’s Chicago Business, the Brava Award presented by Coca-Cola and Latino Magazine in 2018, and the Making it Better Chicago 2017 Top Latina Influencer Award, and the Proud to be Latina Soy Poderosa Award in New York in 2016, among many others
Patricia earned a double Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University-Bloomington in Spanish and Communication & Culture and a Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA) in Public Management from Indiana University’s School of Public & Environmental Affairs (SPEA)-Indianapolis, along with executive leadership certificates from both Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Patricia is also a certified coach and Insights Discovery© licensed practitioner, and a proud 2019 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, and a 2019 Aspen Institute Festival of Ideas Scholar.
Her diverse professional background began with co-founding a non-profit with Latino affairs for city government, administration in corporate energy company, as a faculty and staff member in higher education, to circling back to non-profit. These experiences aid in Patricia’s success among varied environments and perspectives. She is an avid runner and former group exercise dance instructor. She is Mexican-American, grew up in East Chicago, Indiana, and currently resides in Chicago.