During Patrick’s tenure, Gilbert has become the 79th largest city in the U.S., with a growing population of 277,436. Patrick has been a key leader in the process of transforming Gilbert into one of the most sought-after places for residential living and corporate expansions and relocations. He is a forward-thinking, change-orientated leader and has been instrumental in helping Gilbert become one of the most prestigious and award-winning communities in the nation. Since 2011, Gilbert’s financial performance has excelled and was recognized as the top performing city in the nation post-recession, tripling its general fund reserves and receiving thirty-six credit rating upgrades culminating in AAA ratings from all three agencies; Moody’s Investor Service, Fitch, and S&P placing Gilbert in the top .002% of cities in the nation.
Patrick has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Missouri State University and a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University. He is an active member of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Sr. Staff Committee, Past Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Management Board, current President-elect of the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA), and a former Honorary Base Commander at Luke Air Force Base. He also received the 2019 John J. ‘Jack’ Debolski Award for Excellence in City Management by the Arizona City/County Management Association, the highest award ACMA bestows on a public official.
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Guiding Growth: Conversations with Community Leaders
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners. We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
Be sure to subscribe to our show for more interviews with community leaders.
This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments. Learn more about our show at https://guidinggrowth.co. View our Privacy Policy at https://modernmoments.com/privacy
Guiding Growth
Conversations with Community Leaders
So often, we define ourselves and others by a title or label. But, who is the person behind the success? Leaders are inspiring, memorable, and often a mystery to those whom they inspire.
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners.
We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
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Guiding Growth is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments
Meet the Hosts
Sarah Watts was named the President & CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce in July 2020. She joined the Chamber’s team in 2008, and throughout her career, has placed emphasis on collaborative dialogue across industry sectors and job functions and enjoys bringing diverse groups together to solve the challenges that the community may encounter.
Sarah is a graduate (summa cum laude) of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a BA in Journalism, emphasis in Public Relations, and a minor in Communication (2002). She is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 21), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Pipeline Management (2019) and Institute for Organizational Management (2020) programs.
Sarah lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with her husband, two children, and two dogs.
Ben Kalkman is the founder of several businesses, including Rocket Media, a marketing agency, and Modern Moments, a wedding and event venue. Creating solutions to solve problems is a key ingredient in what drives Ben’s professional inspiration. Ben lives by a simple purpose, to lead, by living a balanced and focused life and caring enough to make a significant difference in all that I do.
Ben is a graduate of Kansas State University with a BFA degree in graphic design and communication arts. He is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 25), currently serves on the board for Gilbert Parks & Recreation, and is part of several podcast shows, including, Guiding Growth, Shorts-N-Suits, and Modern Moments Blogcast.
Ben resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and nine children.