Patricia Walsh Chadwick has held many roles at Elon University, from being an Elon parent in 2012 to more recently joining the finance and administration committees as a trustee. This spring, she will take on a new role as the 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker.  

Chadwick was offered the position of commencement speaker over a phone call from Jim Piatt, senior vice president for advancement and external affairs. Chadwick said she knew her late husband, John, would have encouraged her to say yes. 

“I said to Jim, I said, ‘My instinct as I’m driving the car is to think, oh, I have to tell John. And of course, I can’t, but I will promise you, he would have been so happy for me,’” Chadwick said. “And so I said, ‘I’m not going to take any time to think about it. I’m gonna do it.’” 

Chadwick first came to know the university when her son was touring colleges in 2011. Both her and her son were impressed by the campus and the growth they saw in the works, she said. 

Chadwick said she has not yet written her speech but knows her conversations with current students will help her shape the message she gives to them in May. 

“I am honored beyond belief,” Chadwick said. “I will pay close attention to what the senior members want, are interested in as a message to their graduates, and I will do my best to implement something that will give people hope and encouragement and help them realize that they can make their way in the world.” 

Chadwick’s career path is marked by several distinct transitions from one phase of life to another. She grew up in a religious cult in Massachusetts and was kicked out as she was about to graduate high school. 

From there, she began working and taking night classes, studying economics at Boston University. After moving to New York City in the ‘70s, her 30-year career in investments began. 

Little by little, she worked her way up to eventually become a global partner for Invesco, an asset managing firm. By the early 2000s, she had decided to leave Wall Street and pursue a career that better fit her new lifestyle as a mom of twins. 

Her desire to find intellectually stimulating work led her to join the boards of insurance and mutual fund companies. Ten years ago, she started Anchor Health Initiative Corporation in Connecticut, a healthcare company for LGBTQ youth. While she was unfamiliar with how healthcare companies run, she knew her experience in business could be of help. 

“We went from being a tiny hole-in-the-wall endeavor to having 5000 patients, 50 employees, and being the largest LGBTQ healthcare facility in Connecticut,” Chadwick said. “It was a project that needed to be undertaken, and what I did have was business experience, and so I brought that to it.” 

As a parent, Chadwick said she was impressed by Elon’s efforts to grow the university. Chadwick witnessed this growth firsthand when she joined the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business advisory board and eventually became the chair for several years. She said she enjoys seeing the advancements to the university and the challenge of working for the finance committee. 

“Management and business and finance and all of those things are top of mind to me all the time,” Chadwick said. “To be able to kind of engage in that endeavor on behalf of the university is wonderful. So I don't know what the endgame is, but at this point, I still have a lot of energy, and I love coming down here.”

Chadwick will speak at both Elon undergraduate commencement ceremonies May 22 at Schar Center.