We’re excited to welcome Patrick Coad as the Keynote Speaker! A native Hoosier, Patrick has spent the last 16 years of his life managing multimillion dollar, multidisciplinary programs in rural communities in low- and middle-income countries across in Africa and Latin America. His work in programs has primarily focused on two development sectors – education and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). He has helped provide access to quality education, curriculum development, second language acquisition, and music performance the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Most recently, his work in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector has helped facilitate first access and improved service delivery across the four countries where Water For People works in Latin America.

He believes that in order to provide lasting, sustainable solutions, public-private sector partnerships that fully integrate civil society and community stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and monitoring stages are crucial. By leveraging local resources that enhance local knowledge and informed decision making, people living in impoverished conditions can make conscious decisions about their future while simultaneously absorbing shocks to local development ecosystems. Patrick is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Nicaragua ’07-’09), fluent in Spanish, and holds is Master of Public Affairs in Public Policy Analysis and International Development from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). He is a volunteer committee member for the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation and Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in Bloomington. In his free time, Patrick travels to the mountains where he can be found tackling his debilitating fear of heights one mountain at time, pushing his mental and physical limits as far as he can.

Session Schedule below is subject to change.

To view in PDF form:
Wednesday Schedule
Thursday Schedule
Friday Schedule