As president and chief executive officer, Sara Patrick leads MRO in carrying out its critical mission to identify, prioritize and assure effective and efficient mitigation of risks to the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system within the organization’s regional footprint. Patrick is credited with developing and strengthening MRO’s leadership structure and culture to align with the organization’s vision, mission, strategy, and four keys to sustainable success: Connection, Curiosity, Commitment and Competency.

Patrick joined MRO in August 2008 as director of regulatory affairs and enforcement. In 2011, she was promoted to vice president of enforcement and regulatory affairs, and in 2016 she became the vice president of compliance monitoring and regulatory affairs. In June 2018, the board of directors named Patrick president and CEO.

Prior to joining MRO, Patrick served as the director of government affairs for Explore Information Services, LLC, a leading service provider to the property and casualty insurance industry. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona under both the administration of Janet Napolitano (D) and Grant Woods (R). Early in her career, she honed her legal research skills at Thomson West, a leading provider of legal reference materials.

She is a graduate of the Lee Honors College of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, IN. Patrick is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Arizona, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional, Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional, and a member of the Energy Bar Association. She has also completed the University of Idaho Utility Executive Course.