2019 Alma Mater Award

Patrick J. Kelly ’77

The St. Norbert campus of today looks dramatically different than the St. Norbert campus of just 20 years ago. And we have Patrick Kelly – with his tireless energy and boundless imagination – to thank, in part, for this transformation.

As chairman of the college’s board of trustees from 2003-2009, Pat was instrumental in pursuing a campus master plan, complete with its accompanying construction projects. He spearheaded the issuance of a $30 million bond that put those plans into motion. Among the projects: state-of-the-art housing in the Fr. Eugene E. Gries, O.Praem., Residence Hall and construction of the Miriam B. & James J. Mulva Library, as well as the renovation of Todd Wehr Hall into a center for student services.

Under his leadership, the board also completed the transition of the SNC trustees from a community board of friends to one of true governance. In the process, he helped recruit top professionals to the board and more directly involved them in shaping the operation and future of the college. Pat also played a leading role in helping the college navigate the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. In particular, he devised several post-crash strategies to ease short-term liquidity concerns.

But Pat’s work to help reimagine a more modern, more fiscally strong and always-welcoming campus actually began years earlier, starting with his 1988 commitment to join the board. It was followed by six years of service as its vice chairman. If you’re doing the math, that adds up to more than 20 years of invaluable service.

Pat was also the first person to contribute to the Rev. Rowland C. De Peaux, O. Praem., Endowed Scholarship. He did so quietly and generously. His gift provided immediate student scholarship support, and his leadership prompted more than 50 additional alumni contributions.

Pat is widely admired as one of Chicagoland’s most dynamic, not to mention colorful, business leaders. In 1980, he founded Dyna Pro Inc., providing consulting services to business and industry. The company merged with and became Resource 1 in 1990, and Pat continues to serve today as its chairman and chief executive officer. He is also the managing director of KMK & Associates, a private equity firm with controlling interests in industries ranging from food and real estate, to technology and financial services, to agriculture and energy.

Yet no matter how busy we imagine Pat must be, he unfailingly devotes time and energy to the values reinforced during his years as a St. Norbert student. Beyond his tireless service to St. Norbert, Pat has also been involved on the boards of Loyola University, the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago School of Medicine, not to mention volunteering with his home parish and in his children’s schools.

In light of Pat Kelly’s exceptional civic and philanthropic involvement, we cannot imagine a more worthy recipient of the St. Norbert College Alma Mater Award.