Patricia Duffy was born in San Pedro, California, the youngest of five children from a military family. Pat’s family on her father’s side came from Swinford in County Mayo, Ireland. She traveled to Ireland with her father and a college friend in 1991 and then later after her marriage to Joe Paul.
There is a skills mismatch in Western Massachusetts between the jobs being offered and the workforce available. Pat knows job training and workforce development tracks are good investments in our local economy.
Holyoke Community College can serve as an economic catalyst by working with high schoolers to adult learners to meet our local healthcare, technological, and service industry needs while putting the underemployed into growth opportunities.