2013 Tillman Scholar

Patrick Abell

Marine Corps
Harvard University
MBA

“Pat Tillman’s legacy should remind us all that the success of our democracy requires each of us to think beyond our own desires and focus on the greater good.”

Patrick was a junior in high school when 9/11 changed the trajectory of his life, and instilled a deep desire to serve his country. As a high school football player at the time, Patrick was deeply moved by the example that Pat Tillman set when he walked away from the fame and fortune of the NFL to serve his country in the military.

After attending college at Harvard University, Patrick felt the call to serve and joined the Marine Corps as an officer, where he served on active-duty from 2008 to 2011. As the officer in charge of a communications platoon and responsible for $50 million of equipment, Patrick served with the Mojave Viper Support Detachment to prepare thousands of Marines to deploy to Afghanistan. The following year, Patrick himself deployed to southern Afghanistan, where he led a company mentor team that embedded with Afghan Border Police forces and partnered with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

When his active-duty service ended, Patrick used his GI Bill benefits, and generous funding from the Pat Tillman Foundation, to earn both an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD from Ohio State law school. He has volunteered time to help the next wave of veterans transition from active duty to civilian life. He and his wife Stephanie reside in Portland, Oregon, where they are raising two young kids. He practices law at Stoel Rives LLP and intends to live a life of service to his community.