Director of International Programs

Patrick McRae has recently joined the Prima Civitas Foundation as the Director of International Programs.  He brings deep global experience to the position; most recently as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service.

While at Commerce, Patrick spent his first year in New Orleans spearheading a global inbound investment initiative for reconstruction and investment in the post-Katrina Gulf Coast Region.  He then spent six months at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute in the Spanish Language & Regional Studies Immersion Program, then served at Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C. before accepting an assignment as an International Trade Specialist at the Grand Rapids, MI Export Assistance Center. 

The majority of Patrick’s career has been in the private sector and includes 18 years of international business experience ranging from global aviation management to security and business consulting in the former Soviet Union to international market development in the construction and building materials sector.  Countries of primary experience include Russia, Hungary, S. Korea, Turkey, Mexico, The Philippines, The U.K., New Zealand and Japan.  As a deputy leader of the International Trade Administration’s Global Design & Construction Team, Patrick has also focused on developing projects for U.S. firms in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.

Born and raised in Michigan, Pat has a B.A. in Russian & East European Studies and a varsity letter in wrestling from The University of Michigan and an MBA in International Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ.  He has recently retired (semi-intact) from a 20-year rugby career, which included playing for clubs in London, Washington DC, Traverse City, Phoenix, New Orleans and Midland, MI.

Click here to view Pat's resume.