Meet Alumni Association President Patty Caballero
From first generation college student to ĢƵ parent, new Alumni Board president Patty Caballero, SOC/BA ’91, Kogod/MBA ’00, takes great pride in her relationship with the university. Knowing she is just one of 150,000+ alumni stories that represent the promise of ĢƵ, Patty says she is excited about the chance to engage more alumni in the life of the university. She wants all alumni to reconnect with that spark that brought them to ĢƵ.
“When we walk across that stage and grab a diploma, we carry the name of the university for the rest of our lives,” she says. This is what inspires Caballero’s continued involvement with the university.
Born in New York and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Caballero “found a little piece of home” in the strong international community at ĢƵ. She also joined Delta Gamma sorority and worked in the development office at ĢƵ’s Washington College of Law. As a first-generation college student, Caballero says coming to ĢƵ was mind-opening and transformative. “I think we all live in bubbles of some sort, and at ĢƵ, you’re in a bubble bath. We are exposed to many different ways of thinking,” she says.
Caballero felt well equipped by her ĢƵ education when she entered the workforce. She began her career in public affairs in DC, working on campaigns for the US and foreign governments. Her path then shifted to corporate communications and PR work for agencies in Washington and New York City. Caballero joined a Fortune 100 company for more than a decade, and there she was introduced to healthcare communications. She now runs her own consultancy with a focus on “translating medical and technical intricacies into storytelling.”
While balancing her professional and family lives, Caballero also makes time to return to ĢƵ and give back to the institution that greatly impacted her. She has volunteered in various ways over the years, most recently through service to the Alumni Board, which she joined in 2020.
During her term as ĢƵAB president, Caballero hopes to create an even more engaged and active Alumni Board, encouraging each member to tap their personal passions to push the university forward. “Each of us comes to ĢƵ for a particular reason, and each of us takes away a specific affinity,” she says.
For Caballero, making an ĢƵ education part of her family tradition is also a part of her story. Not only are she and husband Don Lisco, CAS/BA ’91, Kogod/MBA ’99, ĢƵ sweethearts, but their youngest daughter, Amelia, is now an ĢƵ student. She even lives in the same residence hall that her parents lived in decades ago.
Making history as the first Hispanic president of the Alumni Board, Caballero recognizes the value of giving back to the university. She aims to inspire all alumni to use their skills and experiences to connect with the university in unique and meaningful ways. “The stronger the school, the stronger your degree,” she says.