Dave Van Patten

Dave Van Patten serves as the Program Editor, through which he will write and oversee the Chronicle’s new Program Corner blog. The Program Corner will serve as Dave’s platform to cover emerging issues in youth mentoring programs and government initiatives. Dave serves as co-Chair of MENTOR’s Research and Policy Council, and brings years of experience to this role. His career spans 30 years of leadership within the government, nonprofit, and private sectors.  After serving as an officer in the United States Coast Guard, Dave led two nonprofit organizations, including a national award winning mentoring program, before founding Dare Mighty Things in 1991.  As President and CEO, Dave fosters relationships with key stakeholders and guides the life cycle of all client engagements. His expertise has been instrumental in the development and scaling of dozens of mentoring programs impacting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adults in nearly every state and several countries of the world. As a result, Dave has received national accolades for program innovations in mentoring high-risk populations, prisoner rehabilitation, new venture creation, and building faith-based organizations. Dave has authored numerous reports, articles, and books, and has lectured at several universities in social entrepreneurship, not-for-profit management, and volunteer management.

Read Dave’s contributions here.