Patricia Mathews

Patricia (Pat) Mathews, a passionate and consequential champion of health justice, died on March 6 after a brief but courageous battle with breast cancer. She was 79 years old.

Born August 11, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland, Patricia was the only child of James Deaver Nichols and Idella Washington Nichols. She graduated from Baltimore’s Western High School, the nation’s oldest all-girls public high school. In 1968, Ms. Mathews earned an undergraduate degree from George Washington University and later completed graduate study in urban planning at Howard University.

As a Black woman coming of age in Washington, DC during the civil rights movement, Patricia’s early experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to racial and social justice, and to the region’s betterment, her home for more 60 years.

Patricia’s career culminated in two decades of leadership as founding President of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation. Her vision was to advance “health equity,” directing more than $17 million in grants to nonprofits increasing access to care and addressing systemic conditions that disadvantage people in the health care system. She retired in 2024.

A policy wonk at heart, Patricia’s proudest accomplishment was commissioning researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University to undertake the nation’s first census-tract-level research on health and racial disparities. Over the course of several years, the resulting reports brought the data to life, identifying “islands of disadvantage” throughout Northern Virginia. Despite being home to some of the nation’s richest ZIP codes, some residents could expect to live 17 fewer years than their neighbors a few miles away. These findings influenced planning and investment decisions by local governments, foundations, and nonprofits, including Fairfax County’s equity-focused strategic planning and Arlington County’s Destination 2027 effort, while also shaping national approaches to public and philanthropic health investments.

Patricia led the Foundation with two truths to be understood together: structural racism that compromises health must be addressed through housing, education, employment, food access, and other basics needs; and that meaningful solutions required good will, collaboration, and open-mindedness. A respected reformer, Patricia had the ear of politicians, policy makers, local media, and fellow leaders of foundations and nonprofits who collaborated with her to move health equity from the margins to front and center of regional policy discussions. In recognition for her impact, the Washington Business Journal recognized her as a 2022 with a Women Who Mean Business honoree.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Patricia’s remarkable career included leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente, the National AIDS Fund, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and the National Bank of Washington Foundation. Lesser known to some was her early work on the editorial board of The Washington Post – evidenced by her exacting grammar.

A committed civic leader, Patricia held positions with the Metropolitan Washington Housing and Planning Association and was appointed to the District of Columbia Zoning Commission, where she helped create the city’s first housing-linkage zoning policy. Her early interest in public policy was shaped by an internship with Maryland Senator and civil rights champion Joseph Tydings, as a volunteer Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, her work in the Marion Barry administration, and as the Director of the DC Bicentennial Commission celebration.

Patricia most recently served on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington (Class of ’88 – Second to None!) and Jubilee Housing, as well as advisory boards of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital and 51 Steps to Freedom. Past board service included chairing the Washington AIDS Partnership and Washington Grantmakers, and with Grantmakers in Health, the Virginia Funders Network, and DC Appleseed, among others.

Patricia was a force – sharp, witty, and playful, with her eye on the prize – fairness and justice for all her neighbors. Once responding to a survey about her life, she described herself as “loyal, hard-working, tough-minded, compassionate and whimsical,” while also lamenting her impatience. Friends fondly remember her love for dinners at The Palm, Champagne, romance novels, and the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Patricia is survived by her cousins, Howard Hill and his wife Geneva, and Ryan Amanda Zella Hill, all of Baltimore, and a wide community of friends. Special thanks to Carlyn Madden and Audrey Rowe for their diligent care in her final weeks.

A public celebration of Patricia’s purposeful life will be held in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital in honor of her lifelong commitment to women’s leadership opportunities. Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout!