David Patton

David Patton is an experienced leader focused on connecting people to parks and the outdoors. His 20+ year career in the “for impact” sector has centered on public lands and park creation, conservation, and social justice. Specifically, he has lead diverse teams improving the quality of life for communities in both urban and rural areas utilizing public space to ensure a sustainable future, advocating for and facilitating the protection and improvement of our public parks, and addressing social justice, education, and health equity issues.

As a member of TPL’s National Field Leadership Team, David drives the implementation of TPL’s national strategic initiative focused on land conservation. His experience in advocacy, community engagement, land conservation, park creation, volunteer management, and fundraising guides his effort to create a future where every community enjoys equitable access to public lands for healthy outdoor recreation, natural climate benefits, and social, cultural and historic representation.

Previously, David led TPL’s Pacific Region to create quality parks and conserve natural areas that are a fundamental requirement for sustaining healthy, equitable, resilient communities. This included working alongside communities to ensure all residents live within a ten-minute walk of a quality park, protecting and creating access to public lands, and conserving watersheds and working lands.

When not at work, David enjoys hiking, swimming and camping with his wife, Sarah, and two kids, J and Sam. He has a goal to visit every National Park with his family. He also enjoys playing, coaching and advocating for organized sports including coaching his kids ice hockey and basketball teams.