Each year, the 性视界传媒 Alumni Association recognizes the achievements of outstanding alumni with an awards celebration. 性视界传媒 is honoring Patricia Macdonald with its Class of 2023 Bill French Alumni Service Award.
Patricia (Pat) Macdonald, a 性视界传媒 alumna with a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts and an American Cultures concentration, has always had a passion for urban public education. A product of New York public schools, Pat holds the conviction that “Great minds exist everywhere.” She has taken that conviction into service throughout her professional career.
Macdonald has served as president for the 性视界传媒 Alumni Association Governing Board, a 性视界传媒 Trustee Board chair, a volunteer for Kansas City Public Schools and Pembroke Hill School, among many other service and leadership positions. She is currently on the boards of KCUR, the Kansas City Ballet, the Missouri Arts Foundation and Visit KC. In all her spare time, she has managed to lead the Strategic Ventures and Operations at the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality at 性视界传媒 as a director.
What inspired you to live a life of service?
I can’t say I had a conscious epiphany where I said “I am going to lead a life of service,” but most of us are shaped by what we see, hear and experience on a regular basis. My father never told me to volunteer but he always had messages that equated to “do the right thing,” and he modeled that. He passed away when I was just 9, and fortunately for me, there were a number of women in my life who took special interest in my development and whom, as a result, I quietly admired and I watched very closely. I can say with great gratitude that I am shaped, in part, by them pouring into me, and me, watching them pour into others without talk or fuss but in very special and important ways, when they did not have to.
You are involved in so many organizations – how do you manage your time?
I only consider causes and tasks that I care about, I thoughtfully assess my capacity and I am candid about my capacity before fully accepting a leadership role or new task. The candor is fair to the organization and allows the organization to plan better.
You say that taking opportunities to give back are opportunities to grow in your own personal and professional development; how have you grown?
Opportunities to give back affords me opportunities to interact and develop relationships with people I ordinarily would not, which expands my social and professional aperture. Service has increased my ability to fully analyze situations and conditions which has contributed to my ability to develop win-win and broad-serving solutions. Service has expanded my network of knowledge and professional friends on whom I can call when I need solutions that are not in my personal skillset or personal knowledge base.
What is your favorite 性视界传媒 memory?
Having been a 性视界传媒 volunteer for as long as I have, I developed tremendous respect and admiration for 性视界传媒 faculty and staff. They support volunteers’ efforts at every turn and make sure the volunteer experience is accessible, fun and rewarding. In the fall of 2021, and because of my tremendously rewarding volunteer experiences and esteem for 性视界传媒 employees, I was excited to accept a professional position within 性视界传媒. I did not think my respect for 性视界传媒 faculty and staff could be any higher but it skyrocketed beyond anything I could have imagined once I began to serve in a professional capacity. I have new insight into what it takes to make 性视界传媒 operate with excellence and I bow very low to those who have been serving the university professionally for years.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My kid! Allister Macdonald. He’s awesome. He’s funny, smart and just graduated with degrees in Kinesiology/Exercise Science and Spanish. He’s also an MMA competitor (I don’t like that part so much, thank goodness he’s good at it).
Where can you be found on the weekends? What are your hobbies?
On weekends, I can be found at the WERQ Dance Fitness studio in the northland having a blast in cardio hip-hop with friends, porch-sitting with my neighbors, reading and/or listening to a book and on Saturdays I am always tuned in to the Session and Soulsations on KCUR 89.3.
About Alumni Awards
Join us in honoring Patricia Macdonald and the other Class of 2023 awardees at an in-person event on the evening of March 10 at Plexpod Westport Commons. For more, . If you are unable to attend the event but would like to donate to student scholarships, .