Patrick Cortez earned his B.A. (Psychology) from Cal Poly Pomona in 2011, and his M.A. (Evaluation & Applied Research Methods; Positive Organizational Psychology) from Claremont Graduate University in 2016. Prior to and during his attending CGU, he had worked across several NSF-funded STEM projects across firms in the Southern California area, and more recently, has additionally managed the data and evaluation services for college access organizations in the LA area.