Patricia Draves

Draves is a native of Rhode Island. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1991. She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied chemotherapy treatment.^[2]

In 1993, Draves began her academic career as a professor at the University of Central Arkansas, where she eventually became Dean of undergraduate studies. She then helped establish a new biochemistry program at Monmouth College. Draves then joined the faculty of the University of Mount Union as vice president for academic affairs in 2006. Draves became the 18th president of Graceland University in June 2017, succeeding John Sellars, who had served for ten years in the position.^[3][4] In April 2024, she was announced as the incoming 15th president of Monmouth College.^[5]