Patrick Abell

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. 

Since completing his active-duty service, Patrick has been using 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. As a student, he has volunteered time to help the next wave of veterans transition from active duty to civilian life. He aspires to work in entrepreneurial business law after finishing school and, with his wife Stephanie, intends to live a life of service to his community.