Patricia McGuire

President of Trinity Washington University

Patricia McGuire has been President of Trinity since 1989. Previously, she was the Assistant Dean for Development and External Affairs for Georgetown University Law Center, where she was also an adjunct professor of law. Earlier, she was project director for Georgetown ‘s D.C. Street Law Project. She was also a legal affairs commentator for the award-winning CBS children’s newsmagazine “30 Minutes” and the Fox Television program “Panorama.”

President McGuire earned her B.A. in Political Science cum laude from Trinity College and her J.D. from the Georgetown University. She is currently a member of the boards of directors of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Washington Metropolitan Consortium of Universities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Catholic Charities of D.C., the Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Prior board service includes the D.C. College Success Foundation, Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, Goodwill of Greater Washington, the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation, the Washington Hospital Center, the American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the National Defense Intelligence College, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

In 2014, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed President McGuire to the U.S. Department of Education Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid. She previously served as a member of the Independent Governance Advisory Panel for the American Red Cross. In June 1998, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin appointed President McGuire to serve as a member of the first-ever citizens’ advisory panel on coinage, the 8-member Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee, which recommended the image of Sacagawea for the new dollar coin.

President McGuire has received honorary degrees from Georgetown University, Howard University, Chatham University, Emmanuel College, Saint Michael’s College, College of New Rochelle, Liverpool Hope University, Mt. Aloysius College and College of St. Elizabeth.

In 2018 the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities honored President McGuire with the Association’s Presidents’ Distinguished Service Award. In 2016, the TIAA Institute honored President McGuire with the Hesburgh Award. In 2015, the Carnegie Corporation honored President McGuire with the Carnegie Award for Academic Leadership. In 2012, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities recognized President McGuire’s leadership in higher education with the Henry Paley Award. In 2010, the American Association of University Professors recognized President McGuire’s defense of academic freedom with the Alexander Meiklejohn Award. In 2007, the Greater Washington Board of Trade honored President McGuire with the “Leader of the Years” award.

Trinity Washington University (historically Trinity College, Washington, D.C.) is the leading woman-centered academic institution in the Washington region, now serving a majority of Black and Latina students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Trinity’s signature programs include the Conway Scholars Program in Nursing; the Trinity Global Leadership Initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation; the Inclusive Excellence in STEM initiative funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and a new project known as Trinity DARE: Driving Actions for Racial Equity.