REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of
Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service
Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Republic of Iceland
CANDIDATE: Carrin F. Patman
Carrin Patman was most recently the chair of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, an organization with a 1.3 billion budget, 4100 employees, and 1300-square-mile service area containing 3.9 million people. She was METRO’s first woman chair. Prior to that role, Ms. Patman was a partner of Bracewell LLP where she worked as a trial lawyer for three decades handling major litigation involving commercial disputes, securities matters, antitrust and competition issues, and regulatory compliance. She was the first woman elected to the firm’s Management Committee. She has a distinguished record of civic engagement, and currently serves as a member of the World Affair Council of Greater Houston and the Houston Chapter of the International Women’s Forum, and has served on the boards of the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston – Galveston Area Transportation Policy Council. Her considerable record of accomplishment, proven ability as a leader, and passion for public service make her a well-qualified candidate to serve as Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland.
Ms. Patman’s earlier commitments to public service include her role as a Founding Board Member of The Center for Women in Law, and as Executive Committee Member of Girls, Inc. of Greater Houston, Sheltering Arms Senior Services and more. She was also an American Leadership Forum (Houston) Senior Fellow.
Ms. Patman earned her B.A. from Duke University and her J.D. degree from the University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law Review). She also completed a year‐long Advanced Leadership Fellowship at Harvard University. She has received numerous awards and was the first woman to receive the Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award, given by the Anti‐Defamation League Southwest Region. In 2012, she was inducted into the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame and in 2018 she was named Distinguished Alumna for Community Service by the University of Texas Law School Alumni Association. In 2019, The Houston chapter of WTS, which is dedicated to advancing women in transportation, named Ms. Patman as Woman of the Year.