Patricia de la Sota (Pardee’79)

Patricia was born in Argentina, moved to the United States at a young age, and grew up in Worcester, Mass. Following a family tradition – both Patricia’s sister and brother graduated from Boston University – Patricia is an alumna of BU’s CAS (CLA) Class of ’79 and was a Scarlet Key recipient as well as an elected member of the CAS student government and the BU Student Union Government. The education, experiences and friendships from BU have served as a vital framework to a career and life well-lived.

Her parents instilled in Patricia a deep respect for the freedoms enjoyed in the United States, which led to Patricia’s 30-plus year career at the Central Intelligence Agency, where the work she performed protected the United States, its people, and its values. She treasures her experiences at the CIA and the people with whom she worked.

Patricia loves diversity – people, ideas, food – and she loves to travel. She is a firm proponent of Mark Twain’s quote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness …” She has traveled to all seven continents, some many times over.

As a “jubilarian” (a much better way to say “retired person”!), Patricia volunteers her time and efforts on topics about which she is passionate: making education accessible to all, supporting victims of domestic abuse, and encouraging greater participation of women in the film-making industry. She is a volunteer scuba-diver at the local aquarium, a lover of all kinds of animals and a responsible steward of our earth. Patricia and her husband, Jerry, live in coastal North Carolina with their rescued Lab, Riley.