Patrick McGee served as a tank commander in the Army and as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. He was a journalist for more than 14 years. His award-winning work includes hundreds of front-page stories, assignments in Mexico and extensive freelance work for The New York Times.
Patrick served as a platoon leader with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, helping lead combat training missions that prepared Army units for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. After being promoted to First Lieutenant, he was put in charge of more than 100 soldiers and hundreds of tactical vehicles, including 15 Abrams Tanks. He was rated in the top 10 percent of his peers by the Battalion Commander and was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He was promoted to Captain in the Army Reserves.
Patrick earned a journalism degree from Northeastern University where he was editor of the student newspaper. He has written for six different newspapers, including an internship at The Boston Globe and eight years on staff at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas. Editors trusted him with assignments in Mexico, out of state and in the state legislature. He wrote hundreds of front-page stories, conducted scores of interviews in Spanish, used data analysis in his reporting and appeared live on MSNBC several times to discuss issues he was covering. He later did extensive freelance reporting for The New York Times, including two front-page stories.
Patrick’s distinguished record of service includes more than two years of Peace Corps service in El Salvador. Stationed in a farming community without electricity or running water, he built a bridge, helped build a water system and co-wrote a 300-page health manual in Spanish. He also was a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters for more than seven years and was named Big Brother of the Year. He served on a fundraising board of The Family Place, a domestic violence shelter in Dallas, and helped the board more than double its fundraising goal. He later served as a volunteer tutor at the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club for eight years. He was honored as one of the organization’s Top 100 Volunteers in 2015 and was invited to serve on the board. The two students he tutored from third grade to high school graduation were accepted to every college they applied to and were awarded scholarships.
Patrick McGee 