Patrice A. Bell is a New Orleans native with deep ties within the local community and 30 years of experience in the fields of marketing, communications, government relations, strategic leadership, and business management.

Bell currently serves as the Vice President of Administration and Chief of Staff with Xavier University of Louisiana. She joined the institution in August of 2017 as its first Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and ascended to the current role as her portfolio grew to include strategic planning, government affairs, deferred maintenance and special projects, amid other administrative responsibilities.

Prior to joining Xavier, Ms. Bell was the Public Information Officer for Transdev, a global private company that manages operations of the public transit agency in New Orleans. In that role, she was responsible for leading and implementing the agency’s rebranding campaign, creating the strategic communications and marketing plan, and developing protocols for engaging the community during major infrastructure projects.

Ashley Irvin Hawkins, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Xavier University of Louisiana