The 'Her'story of Davidisms: My Straight-Shooting Answers to 30 Years of Career Questions People Have Asked Me

Patricia David was born in Birmingham, England, after her parents migrated there from the Commonwealth of Dominica. She came to the US in a breadbasket (which is probably why she likes bread-she's grateful she didn't travel in a laundry basket!) and became a naturalized citizen at the age of seven. As a child, she looked like Buckwheat from The Little Rascals. If she writes another book, she's already got the title: From Buckwheat to Wall Street. Kind of catchy if you ask her.After growing up in the South Bronx and graduating from Cardinal Spellman High School, where she was the first black captain of the twirling team, she attended Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, earning a BS in finance and economics, with a minor in accounting, in 1981. She was honored with the installation of the Patricia David Trailblazer Award in 2015 (she says there is nothing cooler than having an award named after you) and later, in 2016, received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.Pat has held corporate positions with Philip Morris, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Brothers, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, from which she retired as head of diversity in 2018. In 2020 she joined the board of Guiding Eyes for the Blind-an organization that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss.In her retirement, Pat keeps busy as a professional coach and diversity consultant. She has also learned how to sew (personalized slippers and reversible tote bags for family and friends are her specialty), continues to improve on her West Indian cooking, and spends as much time with her husband, a former Marine, and two grown children as they allow.Pat currently lives in New Jersey. She is a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, loves any movie with Denzel Washington, and enjoys Jeopardy, crossword puzzles, helping people, and talking-lots of talking.