Patricia (Pat) LeGrand, Professional Development Specialist for the Center for Innovative Practices and Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, recently joined us as permanent employee at CWRU after working in this role for four months as a temporary. Pat started her career as an Administrative Assistant, eventually becoming an Executive Assistant to senior leadership at Keybank and Honeywell. While in college she studied Accounting and Business Administration for 2 years, but then switched to Computer Science/ Network Administration due to her obsession with computers.
Pat’s broad and versatile work experience includes 13 years in Information Technology as a LAN Administrator, Technology Specialist and Systems Administrator for the Cleveland Clinic and Jones Day, 2 years in Risk Management at PNC Bank, and 7 years in Problem Management, Change Management, Emergency Escalation and Disaster Recovery at KeyBank. Other interesting roles along the way include Internal Compliance Auditor, Fraud Investigator, Mortgage Underwriter, and Computer Trainer.
In her personal time, Pat loves to travel, cook, and host large parties and events. When both her parents became diabetics, she studied and became a Special Diets Chef specializing in tasty, heart-smart, diabetic and kidney friendly foods and desserts. For many years she volunteered in local communities as a Special Diets Cooking Instructor for schools, patient support groups, nurses, and dieticians at the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, University Hospitals, American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Association, Greater Cleveland Diabetes Association, Cleveland Kidney Foundation, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services, and several colleges including CWRU, CSU and Kent State. For 4 years Pat served as a volunteer at the Minority Men's Health Fair supporting Dr. Charles Modlin by cooking & providing dinner to over 200 doctors and medical professionals, and food samples and water to the thousands of attendees. During that time Pat and her community outreach work was featured on the Food Network, CNN, local news, the Plain Dealer, and twice in Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Her cooking class for public housing residents was a key feature in the 6-part documentary series: "Be Well - Obesity - Poverty and Food Deserts."