Patrick Gaston
“Education has always been important to my family,” said Patrick Gaston. “I recognized early that it was my ticket to the better things in life … so I was willing to push hard to get a higher degree.”
Gaston, who was born in Haiti but moved at a young age to North America, said his mother “worked two or three jobs” so her children could go to college. With his bachelor’s degree and a job at New England Telephone, Gaston began eyeing MBA programs. “I had always thought well of Northeastern — both its urban setting and its stellar reputation,” he said. “I didn’t apply to any other school.”
Attending part-time while working, Gaston found both his fellow students and the faculty inspiring. “Northeastern did an exceptional job of getting the right people into the classroom,” he said.
Gaston rose within the company as it evolved into Verizon. “I decided to stay with it, although my career path wasn’t really clear at times, but I had a willingness to take different jobs. … Flexibility is the key. That’s where a good education and a good background comes in. You need job training plus the ability to take risks, and I’ve never backed off from taking risks.”
He now manages Verizon Foundation, one of the 15 largest corporate philanthropies. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. Under the Verizon Volunteers initiative, one of the nation’s largest employee-volunteer programs, the foundation matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions.
“We make financial donations that create building blocks for success,” he said. Verizon’s 235,000 employees “have values that are reflected in the way we approach the community, and our CEO is very focused on getting employees engaged in their communities.”
Gaston also sits on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Social justice is a hot issue of mine,” he said, citing the organization’s advocacy for civil rights, health care and education.
As a senior corporate executive, he said, “What I have learned to focus on is what’s in front me.”
“What’s next,” he said, “is right now.”
