Patrick Quirk, PhD is Chief Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer at Save the Children US. In this role, he leads the organization’s efforts to shape public policy, mobilize stakeholders and strengthen Save the Children’s position as a voice for children. Quirk also oversees Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), the organization’s political advocacy arm, which mobilizes grassroots advocates to advance policy change for children at the federal and state levels.
Patrick joined Save the Children from UNICEF USA, where he served as Vice President for Global Policy and Public Affairs. In that role, Patrick advanced a government relations and public affairs strategy focused on Congress, the Executive Branch, and key external stakeholders to advance UNICEF USA’s advocacy priorities. Prior to joining UNICEF USA, Patrick served as Vice President for Strategy, Innovation, and Impact at the International Republican Institute (IRI), where he led the development and execution of the organization’s global strategic plan, guided external engagement with the Executive Branch and Congress, and oversaw teams responsible for innovation and impact assessment across programs in more than 100 countries. From 2019-2021, he also served as a Nonresident Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program of the Brookings Institution and as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, and an advisory board member of the Vandenberg Coalition.
Patrick earned a B.A. from Bates College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in the Washington, DC area with his wife and daughter.
