Patrick Fox is an Education Policy Advisor for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), where he focuses on higher education and special education policy. Growing up in Jefferson Parish near New Orleans, Patrick’s career has been shaped by a passion for problem-solving and a drive to improve education systems on a large scale.
Patrick’s journey began in the classroom, earning a degree in collaborative education with certifications in K-6 and K-8 special education. Teaching gave him the tools to help individual students thrive, but it also left him asking bigger questions. “I knew how to teach a kid to read,” he recalls, “but I didn’t know how to teach a whole city to read. That’s what led me to education policy—I wanted to understand how decisions are made at scale and how to make them better.”
His pursuit of answers led him to earn a master’s degree in education policy, and a move to Capitol Hill, where he has spent six years representing Louisiana and crafting policy solutions to systemic challenges. The Bryce Harlow Fellowship is helping Patrick plan the next steps in his career. “To me, advocacy is problem-solving in action, and I’ve learned so much from mentors who’ve transitioned from the Hill to advocacy roles,” Patrick said. The Foundation has also connected him to peers and leaders equally passionate about building public trust and driving meaningful change.
