Patrick Nielsen BA ’71 serves as vice chair of the Lewis & Clark Board of Trustees and is also a member of the advisory board for the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Patrick earned his BA degree in political science at Lewis & Clark College, He received his JD from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco and became a partner in an “AV” rated San Francisco law firm. Recruited by a client, Dole Food Company, Inc., Patrick worked with Dole from 1983 to 2001 as vice president, general counsel and as vice president for international legal and regulatory affairs. Patrick led law, government and environmental management programs in the United States and internationally for Dole and managed acquisitions and strategic business structures for growth in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Continuing his general counsel career, Patrick worked nine years as general counsel with a Swiss company, GrupoNueva that holds assets and companies throughout Latin America, and for Natura, S.A. a Brazilian cosmetics company.
Patrick is currently a business advisor and the principal in his firm, The Law Office of Patrick A. Nielson, P.C., which he established in 2010. Fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese, Patrick has worked with California and Brazilian bioscience and agricultural companies and has served on the boards of directors of companies and nonprofits engaged in food production, renewable energy and real estate.