Saint Joe’s is where the Maggittis became college sweethearts. Patrick was a senior, about to embark on a business career. Sara was a freshman, but she committed to Patrick—and a career in psychology. They married in 1994 while Sara earned her doctorate and Patrick launched his business.
In 2004, Patrick shifted careers and landed a professorship at St. Joe’s. Sara left her job at Johns Hopkins University and became director of Cabrini University’s counseling center. “It’s a dance,” Sara says. “It’s the pace and pattern of our life. When one of us made a change, we found a different rhythm for the same dance.”
That dance became a quickstep in 2012 when Patrick was named dean of the Villanova School of Business. In 2015, he became provost of the entire university. It’s a schedule killer, Patrick admits, and it can be rough on Sara and their two kids. “My wife is the quarterback of our family,” he says. “She’s simply amazing.”
But Sara gives Patrick a lot of credit for how he handles Villanova, which has become their demanding third child. “Patrick is very mindful about his time,” Sara says. “I trust him about that. If he has to miss a family event, it’s for a good reason.”
Patrick is über-supportive of Sara’s career. “It’s very important to our happiness,” he says. “She has her own accomplishments outside of the kids and family. That’s tremendously significant.”
