Patrice J Robinson

Patrice Jordan Robinson was elected to the Memphis City Council in November 2015. She served as the Council Chairperson in 2020. Prior to being elected as the Memphis City Council District 3 representative, Robinson served as a member of the Memphis City/Shelby County Schools Board of Education for 13 years where she held the title of board President in 2004 and 2007. As a Board member, she distinguished herself by chairing the Policy, Personnel, Audit, and Capital Improvements Committees, as well as an active participant on the Prevailing Wages Commission. While serving on the Tennessee School Boards Association’s Board of Directors, Robinson also served as the MCS Board representative on the 2010-2011 Tennessee Legislative Network as the President, which is composed of school board members statewide who set the legislative agenda for the Tennessee School Boards Association. Robinson earned the designation as a Master School Boardsman in Tennessee.

She has 30-plus years of professional experience in Human Resources, Training and Development, Counseling, Job Development and Grant Writing. Robinson is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources. She retired as a Supervisor, Assessment & Development, at Memphis Light Gas and Water Division.

Robinson earned a Master of Science degree in Technological and Adult Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Personnel Administration and Industrial Relations from Memphis State University.

In May of 2006, she was a graduate of Leadership Memphis and in 2010, a graduate of the Memphis Leadership Academy. Robinson has served as secretary-treasurer of the West Tennessee Technical and Adult Education Society. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, she was a member of the American Society for Training and Development and served on the Boards of Directors of Jobs for Stars, Memphis in May, Hands Across Memphis, Inc. and served as the Education Chair of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Currently, she serves on the boards of First 8 Memphis, Leadership Memphis and Paula Ratchford Ministries. Robinson is the former President of the Valleywood Homeowners Association, former correspondence secretary for the Memphis (TN) Chapter, The Links, Inc., Director of the Women’s Ministry at Faith Temple Ministries C.O.G.I.C., member of the NAACP Memphis Chapter, member of the National Council of Negro Women, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Councilwoman Robinson received the following honors in 2022: Spirit Magazine’s 50 Over 50 Award, FINDING MY YES Honoree, and Melhorn Trailblazer Award for Exceptional Community Service.

During her time on the Council, Chairwoman Robinson co-sponsored the Pre-K Resolution in Memphis, worked to re-establish the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corporation, initiated the MLGW Share the Pennies Initiative, and created the Weatherization Task Force. She currently serves as MLGW Committee Chair and council liaison for MLGW and the Aging Commission.