A leader helping Long Island girls find their voices traces that mission back to a childhood shaped by an immigrant’s perseverance and a belief that girls deserve the same opportunities to lead and succeed.
Now, as executive director of Girls Inc. of Long Island, Patricia Charlemagne works to expand opportunities and leadership pathways for girls across the region.
Charlemagne, 52, grew up in Queens before her family moved to Baldwin when she was 11. Now she lives in Baldwin with her husband of 15 years, Frank, and their two children, Alix, 13, and Taylor, 11.
Her parents, immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, prioritized education above everything else. Growing up in a working-class immigrant household, Charlemagne said she was surrounded by opportunities that helped shape her interests and ambitions.
“Education continues to be the most important thing to my family,” she said. “They were very committed to my education.”
Despite her family’s modest means, she took part in activities including ballet and piano lessons, after-school sports and school programs focused on the visual and performing arts. At the time, she said, she didn’t fully realize the sacrifices her family made to provide those opportunities.
Those experiences later reinforced her belief that all children — regardless of economic background — deserve access to activities that help them grow and thrive.
After graduating from high school, Charlemagne attended Wesleyan University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree before following it with a law degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
During her studies, she developed an interest in how laws and workplace systems treated women differently, particularly women of color — which eventually led her to a career in nonprofit leadership.
Girls Inc. offers girls mentorship, leadership development and exposure to career pathways often dominated by men. Industries such as the trades and technology still have a relatively low representation of women, she said, something she hopes to change by introducing girls to those fields early.
“My journey to Girls Inc. of Long Island has been a full recognition that when girls are given resources, when girls are given opportunities, when girls are made to feel safe and a sense of belonging,” Charlemagne said, “there is no limit to what they can do.”
In addition to youth programming, the organization has begun partnering with companies working to diversify their workforces. The goal, she said, is to help businesses create environments in which women feel supported and encouraged to pursue careers in under-represented fields.
Charlemagne believes women and girls should be included when decisions are made, rather than having programs and policies created for them without their input. Her perspective has been shaped by challenges she has faced as a woman in the workforce, including disparities in pay and having her ideas overlooked.
“You share an idea and no one hears it,” she said. “Then a man repeats the idea, and all of a sudden it makes perfect sense.”
Those experiences, she said, reinforced the importance of helping girls develop confidence and learn to advocate for themselves.
For Charlemagne, empowering girls also means encouraging women to support one another and prioritize their well-being. “Take care of yourself first,” she said. “You cannot do anything for anyone else if you’re not taking care of yourself.”
