Patricia Garcia Duarte

Executive Vice President, Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.

Mrs. Patricia Garcia Duarte joined Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (CPLC) in March 2022 to lead and manage Homeownership Initiatives and focus on building a homeownership ecosystem to narrow the wealth gap among Hispanic, Black, Asian, Indigenous and low-income people. She previously served as President and CEO at Trellis, an Arizona nonprofit, for sixteen years where she had the responsibilities of creating a housing vision and guiding the strategic goals to better serve clients, stakeholders and neighborhoods/ communities. CPLC is a multi-state nonprofit organization headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, dedicated to five areas of impact: Health & Human Services, Housing, Education, Economic Development, and Advocacy.  Mrs. Garcia Duarte holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Finance from the College of Business, Arizona State University.

She was formerly the Arizona Manager for the Community Department Group at Chase and formerly was a Housing Developer in the not-for-profit sector where she utilized public and private resources for the development of affordable housing.  For the last thirty-four years, she has been an advocate for community development initiatives.  She is a former member of the Inaugural Community Advisory Board of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the   Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve.  She has been a volunteer board member of non-profits groups that promote self-sufficiency through economic development and affordable housing opportunities to low and moderate-income individuals.  She previously served on the City of Phoenix Commission on Housing and Neighborhoods, City of Mesa Housing Task Force, the Regional Workforce Housing Task Force, and the South-Central Transit Oriented Development Steering Committee for the City of Phoenix.

Curently, she is a board member of Community Housing Capital, a national Community Development Financial Institution; Arizona Housing Coalition, City of Phoenix, Parks & Preserve Initiative Oversight Committee, National NeighborWorks Association, Downton Phoenix Community Development Corp., Rio Reinvestment & Redevelopment Committee and the Arizona Community Foundation.  She is also a community advisory member to Comerica Bank and Western Alliance Bank.

She is a past recipient of the following awards: 2009 Brian Mickelson Housing Hero Award, 2010 Lupe Sisneros Memorial Award, 2011 NNA Emerging Leader Award, 2011 BBVA Compass Visionary Team Leader Award, 2016 Outstanding Women in Business and the 2016 Rosa Carrillo Humanitarian Award.

As an advocate, she is attentive to matters that impact consumers, especially low-moderate income individuals and families.  Mrs. Garcia Duarte is an Arizona native, raised in Yuma County and lives in Chandler, AZ with her husband and three adult children.