Patrice McConnell Cromwell is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Center for Economic Opportunity at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for America's children, youth and families. She is a member of the foundation's Committee of Managers and is focused on creating education and economic opportunities for at-risk youth. She also directs a new partnership with the federal Social Innovation Fund for youth and young adults and recently joined the International Youth Foundation's Reconnecting Youth Global Advisory Committee. While at Casey, Patrice served as an 'Executive on Loan' in Maryland's Office of the Governor to help accelerate human service results. Prior to Casey, Patrice was the Associate Director of the Open Society Institute - Baltimore, a field office of the Open Society Foundations. Previous to her work in philanthropy, Patrice spent ten years creating and running three economic development organizations in Baltimore. Patrice is from Brooklyn, New York and worked in the finance and consulting industries in New York City before moving to Baltimore. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the Yale School of Management.