FareStart Appoints Patrick D’Amelio as CEO

Please join us in welcoming longtime executive nonprofit leader Patrick D’Amelio (he/him) as our new Chief Executive Officer.

Patrick brings nearly 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience to FareStart. His vast experience, skillsets and leadership approach will be an incredible asset in FareStart’s evolution as we recover from pandemic impacts, transform more lives and disrupt poverty, both locally and nationally.

“Cooking has been a lifelong passion. As a young adult, my earliest jobs were in kitchens. Not only did I develop culinary skills, I developed important and lasting life skills,” said Patrick. “I’m thrilled to join FareStart in its mission to support people as they find and develop their own career pathways while feeding our communities. I look forward to working with the staff, students, board and partners to build upon FareStart’s 30-year history and deepen its impact.”

Over the course of his career, Patrick has advanced equity by expanding access and opportunity at education and human services organizations. Most recently, he was president of the Washington State Charter Schools Association where he helped grow and strengthen the public charter school system in Washington. He previously led Washington STEM, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound and The Alliance for Education. He has successfully fundraised over $150 million; managed multi-million-dollar annual operating budgets and net assets of more than $100 million, all while ensuring strong fiscal management and sustainability for organizations. He has experience with social enterprise and fee-for-service models that generate revenue for mission-based organizations. Patrick is also a respected leader in the policy and advocacy space.

“Patrick understands our mission and how to create pathways that enable people to achieve stability and economic mobility,” said FareStart Board Chair Janice Javier. “He has proven expertise in strategy development and execution, fiscal management, community building and organizational equity transformation.”

Like FareStart’s vision, a through-line across Patrick’s career is expanding opportunities for people to grow and thrive. He has set strategies that increased equity for students and community members; led antiracist organizational transformation, resulting in team member diversity and a growing culture of antiracism. Patrick has been involved in numerous national and local boards, including the national organizations Public Education Network, STEMx and The American Camp Association. He was the founding board chair for Youth Development Executives of King County.

“Patrick doesn’t just talk about it, he is about it,” said Chef Wayne Johnson, FareStart’s Senior Advisor of Culinary & Community Engagement and member of the CEO Search Committee. “Over the course of his career, he has continually demonstrated his commitment to advancing social justice and building a positive culture for staff and program participants alike, enabling people to show up as their best, authentic selves. And he has a passion for food. This is a great match.”

FareStart’s CEO Search Committee worked with the executive search firm GoodCitizen, which has over 20 years of experience working with mission-based organizations to recruit outstanding leaders. Patrick was selected from a large pool of applicants, underwent in-depth interviews with our Board of Directors and Leadership Team, and was unanimously selected by the Board as FareStart’s new CEO.

Patrick lives in Seattle with his husband Jeff and their two children. 

Patrick will officially start Monday, May 22, 2023. He succeeds Angela Dunleavy who stepped down as FareStart’s CEO in January after leading the organization for nearly five years. Nicole Trimble will continue to serve as interim CEO until Patrick’s start date and then will partner with him during a short transition period to ensure successful onboarding. Read the official press release.