Patrick Ronan was named the CEO of Validant in April 2021. Patrick previously served as the CEO of Greenleaf Health, Inc. (Greenleaf), a leading regulatory consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., which he founded in 2007. With more than 25 years of leadership experience at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on Capitol Hill, and at a leading global pharmaceutical company, Patrick brings a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare sector to Validant.

Prior to founding Greenleaf, Patrick was Vice President of Regulatory Policy & External Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, where he supervised U.S. regulatory policy issues and advised all therapeutic areas on FDA-related regulatory matters. In addition, Patrick supervised state regulatory and coverage policy and advocacy activities. At Novartis, Patrick formulated and implemented a regulatory policy agenda, working on policy matters and providing strategic direction to all therapeutic development teams on their interactions with the FDA on a full range of pre- and postmarket product-specific matters.

Patrick served as the FDA’s Chief of Staff from 2005–2007 and in other leadership roles at the Agency preceding this role. As Chief of Staff, Patrick was the principal advisor on all agency issues to former Commissioners Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach and Dr. Lester M. Crawford. Patrick’s FDA career began with his appointment as Assistant Commissioner of Legislation by then Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan. The following year, Patrick was elevated to Associate Commissioner of Legislation and then Chief of Staff. His work with Congress contributed to the enactment of important modernizations of public health laws governing the regulation of drugs, biologics, medical devices, and foods.

Patrick’s interactions with Congress as the FDA Chief of Staff were a natural extension of his prior experience on Capitol Hill, where he served on the professional staff of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for then Chairman W.J. “Billy” Tauzin and Chairman Joe Barton from 2002–2004. In this capacity on the Committee, Patrick became one of the lead drafters of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) and authored numerous pieces of food- and drug-related legislation that were signed into law. Earlier, Patrick was Director of Government Relations at the Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and worked for several Members of Congress who represented the constituents of Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Patrick is based in the Chicagoland area, where he resides with his wife, children, and Golden Retrievers.