Patrick
Gaines became executive director of the Gates Center in March, 2012, following
his predecessor Donald Elliman’s
appointment as Chancellor. For the past 20 years Patrick has been a non-profit
executive, holding senior development positions with the University of Colorado
Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the New Jersey Performing Arts
Center in Newark, NJ. For the past seven years at CU Denver and the American
Cancer Society, he has developed significant experience in the area of medical
research with emphasis on cancer, regenerative medicine and stem cell
biology. His passion for research has
been fueled by the courage, strength and faith of the hundreds of people he’s
met who are impacted by disease and injury along with those who care for them.
As the child of a parent with Parkinson’s disease and having experienced the
devastating impact of cancer through family and friends, like so many of us,
his motivation to help find preventative and corrective therapies strikes very
close to home, too.
As
Patrick spends his days orchestrating the future of the Gates Center, he does
so quite honestly. He received his Bachelor of Music Performance from the
University of Nebraska – in his home town of Lincoln - and spent over a decade
performing as a French Horn player with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Nebraska
Chamber Orchestra, Denver Symphony and Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He is also a Board Member with the
Generations Cancer Foundation in Denver, volunteers for Brent’s Place in
Aurora, and is an avid ultra marathon runner, having completed two 100 mile
foot races, including the Leadville Trail 100. In September he wowed his
colleagues when he competed in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in Chamonix
France. Patrick and his 12-year-old son
have lived in Littleton since 2001.