Patrick Rodriguez

Patrick Rodriguez serves as the inaugural Co-Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison (GACHEP), where he leads statewide efforts to expand high-quality degree pathways for incarcerated students. In this role, he advances program development, policy advocacy, and reentry support services, impacting hundreds of students across Georgia. He also co-directs 18 national initiatives through the National Executive Council at Columbia University’s Center for Justice, where he is regarded as a national thought leader in policy strategies and implementation to support communities facing systemic challenges.

Prior to his current role, Patrick led statewide expansion efforts for the Georgia State University Prison Education Project, where he graduated the first class of students through a University System of Georgia school in over 30 years. His work draws deeply from his lived experience, having spent 52 months incarcerated in Georgia prisons. Since his release in December of 2019, he has been a driving force behind key policy reforms, increased access to in-prison enrollment, and the creation of robust, student-centered reentry pipelines. He led state-wide efforts to remove the criminal conviction question from all Georgia schools and was successful in the removal of the first-offender/criminal discharge question from all 26 University of System of Georgia schools, which led to double the enrollment numbers of justice impacted students in the state of Georgia.

Patrick is a first-generation college graduate who earned his Bachelors from Kennesaw State University. He has been recognized for his leadership and scholarship as a Camelback Fellow, Ed Trust Justice Policy Fellow, Truist Foundation Fellow, and recipient of the 2022 Canary Impact Prize. He is currently a Fund for New leadership fellow supported by the Hartman Family foundation. He was named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 Under 40, Best Self Magazine’s 40 Under 40, and most recently, Jezebel Magazine’s 40 Under 40 list for his innovation and leadership in Education and Justice reform. He has been featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, on NPR and multiple global podcasts.

Deeply committed to service, Patrick serves as the Board Chair of Canary Impact, which supports national systemic reform efforts. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and a founding member of Grady Hospital’s Young Professionals Committee. He has also served on numerous advisory groups dedicated to mental health, education, and substance abuse.

Through the NUF Fellowship, he hopes to deepen his understanding of urban, rural and health policy, expand his leadership capacity, and strengthen his ability to bridge justice reform with public sector innovation. He is especially interested in collaborating with other fellows and mentors to reimagine systems that restore dignity, center lived experience, and advance equity in education and workforce development.

Patrick’s work builds bridges across southern perspectives by placing the value of human life at the forefront of the conversation. His approach reflects a deep commitment to healing, community-building, and transformation. He also has a red-merle Australian shepherd named Heidi, who’s his sidekick in his life’s adventures.