Deval Patrick on the types of challenges humankind faces and the power of collaboration to tackle them.

Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Deval came to Massachusetts at the age of 14, when he was awarded a scholarship to Milton Academy through the Boston-based organization A Better Chance. After Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he clerked for a federal appellate judge and then launched a career as an attorney and business executive, becoming a partner at two Boston law firms and a senior executive at Texaco and Coca-Cola. In 1994, President Clinton appointed him to the nation’s top civil rights post, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. 

In 2006, in his first bid for public office, Deval became the Massachusetts’s first African-American governor. In his two terms as Governor, he oversaw the expansion of affordable health care to more than 98 percent of state residents, launched initiatives stimulating clean energy and biotechnology, won a national Race to the Top grant, and steered the state out of recession to a 25-year high in employment. 

Currently serving as a managing director of Bain Capital Double Impact, he focuses on investments that deliver both a competitive financial return and significant positive social impact. He is a Rockefeller Fellow, a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and the author of two books, A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life and Faith in the Dream: A Call to the Nation to Reclaim American Values.

The ASU GSV Summit brought together the nation’s most committed leaders in business, education, nonprofits, government, and entertainment for the three-day conference. A collaboration between Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), the annual conference is the industry catalyst for elevating dialogue and driving action around raising learning and career outcomes through scaled innovation. 

WorkingNation set up its cameras at the Summit and interviewed the speakers and attendees about the important issues of education and workforce challenges. You can follow the conversation on our social media under the hashtag #WorkingNationOverheard.

Read more about the event here.