OUR TEAM

Patricia Shea is a visionary leader who integrates a passion for social impact and business savvy to launch innovative ideas, build community, and lead organizations into the future.

In addition to founding and directing The Nashville Alliance, Patricia serves as a Partner in Shea Advisory Services, working with for-profit and nonprofit organizations in entrepreneurism, leadership, philanthropy, gender equity and social justice.

From 2018-2021, Patricia was the Co-Founder, President & CEO of Givful, a technology SaaS start-up that automated workplace giving and volunteering. Givful was named Start-up of the Year, 2020, by the Greater Nashville Technology Council. Patricia later sold the company to iSolve, an Indianapolis-based payroll company.

Patricia served as President & CEO for the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee for 11 years, growing the organization’s net assets to $10M and raising over $50M, which stabilized the more than 100-year-old organization while increasing the number of women and girls served.

Before becoming a non-profit leader, Patricia spent 14 years in for-profit healthcare, co-founding Echelon Health, a physician practice management company focused on health services for women, and launching two consulting divisions within HCA/Quorum focused on continuous quality improvement.

In 2010, Shea founded the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) in Nashville. WPO is an international membership organization of second-stage entrepreneurial female presidents. Under Shea’s leadership, Nashville has launched two chapters.

Patricia is a founding director for Studio Bank and serves on the audit committee. She has a B.S. in Business from the University of Dayton. Patricia is a graduate of Leadership Nashville and Leadership Tennessee, founder of Nashville’s Stand Against Racism, and co-founder of Nashville’s first Gender Equity Council. Patricia is also a member of Tennessee’s International Women’s Forum and Nashville’s The Table.

Named to the Nashville Business Journal’s “Power 100” list multiple times, Patricia has been recognized by the paper as a Most Admired CEO and Woman of Influence/Trailblazer. She has been a finalist for Tennessean of the Year, and in 2017 accepted Nashville’s annual Human Relations Award and the ATHENA Leadership Award.