My name is Patrick McKelvey.

I live my life by a simple expression - “The world is not a place you live; it is a place you change.”

After working at colleges and universities for a decade, I embarked on a new journey as the director of my local food pantry where I have helped distribute 3+ million lbs. of food to my community. While this opportunity could have marked the end of my career in education, I have continued by serving as an elected official. I am proud to have been elected to the Mehlville School Board where I have increased wages for teachers, improved school safety, and expanded services for our students. During my time in Mehlville, I was appointed to the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) Governing Council, which serves 25,000 students who have 504/IEP Education Plans and receive alternative and technical education across St. Louis County. After five years of K-12 experience, I wanted to return to higher education. I was subsequently elected to St. Louis Community College’s Board of Trustees. I am lucky to have overseen the largest graduating class in STLCC’s history and the completion of the $450m “Transformed” project.

  • I was hired as the Executive Director of the Gateway Food Pantry (Then the Arnold Food Pantry) in December 2023. Gateway is the largest food distribution center in Jefferson County and serves three zip codes in St. Louis County. I am proud to have led the organization through the the tornados in the spring of 2025, the longest government shutdown in US history, and the temporary suspension of SNAP benefits.

    My major accomplishments at the food pantry include reversing a trend of five years of declining unrestricted donations and leading the rebrand of the pantry from Arnold Food Pantry to Gateway Food Pantry.

  • I was first elected to the Mehlville Board of Education in 2021 and re-elected in 2024. I served as board secretary for multiple terms and briefly as board vice president.

    I am most proud of helping pass Prop S, which was a $35,000,000 bond issue to improve school facilities and increase school safety and Prop E, which was a 33-cent operating levy to fund competitive pay for classified and certified staff including a $4,000 increase in starting teacher pay.

  • I began my career with internships at the University of Memphis and the University of Tulsa before returning to Saint Louis for a position at Southwestern Illinois College where I was an academic advisor to “Running Start” students from East St. Louis, Cahokia, and Granite City. The Running Start program allows high school juniors and seniors to earn a high school diploma from their local high school while simultaneously earning an Associates degree from SWIC. I proudly led these highly-motivated students to a 95%+ graduation rate.

    I transitioned to Jefferson College where I continued my work as an academic advisor while receiving an opportunity to serve as a faculty member for the first time. After teaching multiple years as an adjunct instructor, I received an opportunity to become a full-time professor at Illinois College where I taught in the College of Business for a year. If I had not received the incredible opportunity to lead the Gateway Food Pantry, I would have spent the rest of my career at IC. While I do not work in higher education in a full-time capacity anymore, I still teaching evening and online courses at various colleges in St. Louis.

  • I proudly serve my alma mater on the boards of the Truman School of Government & Public Affairs and the Mizzou Tiger Club of St. Louis.

    I was also appointed to the St. Louis Public Transportation Commission.