To 35-year-old Patricia Wescott, coupling diversity with strategic planning is key. Wescott learned this early on in life, having a combined Ecuadorian and American upbringing. From this collision of two worlds came a deeper understanding of individuals, perceptions, and thought processes, she says. She continued on the multicultural track through her studies abroad and stateside. Now, as special assistant to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in Virginia, Patricia holds an unwavering dedication to her job and hopes to inspire the kind of trust that an organization values. “Over the past few years, one of the best decisions that I made was pursuing an MBA at the University of Richmond while working full-time,” Wescott says. “This, by far, has been one of the most rewarding experiences due to the professors and incredible individuals that touched my life during the MBA program. From this experience, I learned the value of business acumen and relationship building.”
Dream job
Being a self-starter is very important to me; however, helping individuals succeed in life is of equal value. My dream job would be to create my own business that contributes a portion of its revenue to poverty-stricken areas while teaching financial literacy to individuals in those locales.
Education
Master of Business Administration
University of Richmond, August 2011
Study Abroad: International
Consulting Project
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China,
Summer 2010
Industry Pulse
The Richmond Fed works with 11 other Reserve Banks and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to strengthen the economy and our communities. As the central bank, we manage the nation’s money supply to keep inflation low and help the economy grow, supervise and regulate financial institutions to help safeguard our nation’s financial system, and protect the integrity and efficiency of our payments system.
Study Abroad: Business Success in Central and Eastern European Markets
Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria, Spring 2009
Maryland Banking School
Annapolis, MD, August 2003
Study Abroad: Advance studies in Spanish language, culture, history, literature, and art
University of Valencia, Valencia,
Spain, Fall 1998
Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Spanish
University of Virginia, May 1999
Work experience
January 2012—present: Special Assistant to the President
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
December 1999 to December 2011: Bank Structure Manager
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
June 1999 to November 1999: National Executive Trainee
Sears Roebuck & Co.
Role model
My mother is my shining light. She is that unspoken hero at the end of every day. She taught me that anyone has the ability to “spin straw into gold,” regardless of challenging obstacles, as long as they are cognizant of the needs of those around them.
Define success
Success is a constant and evolving journey. It requires a continuous challenge of oneself to find opportunities that will improve intellectual knowledge
