Patricia Diaz Dennis is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for AT&T Inc. She is responsible for AT&T Corporate Litigation, Procurement, Corporate Real Estate, and Environmental and Corporate Compliance.
Dennis was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to three federal government positions. President Reagan appointed her, and she served from 1986 until 1989, as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. Before President Reagan appointed her to the FCC, he named her a member of the National Labor Relations Board and President Bush appointed her assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs in 1992.
Before joining SBC in 1995, Dennis was special counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell for communications matters in the international law firm's Washington, D.C. office. From 1989 to 1991, she was a partner and head of the communications section of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm.
She is a member of the California, Texas and District of Columbia bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Dennis serves on the Boards of Directors of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, MATT Foundation, Inc. and UST Inc. She is Chair of the Board of Girl Scouts of the USA and a NHP Foundation trustee.
Governor George W. Bush named Dennis to the Texas State University System Board of Regents. Governor Rick Perry appointed Dennis to his transition team for Texas-Mexico Relations.
Among other honors, Dennis received the 2006 Spelman College Legacy of Leadership Award, 2003 MALDEF Corporate Responsibility Service Award, 2002 Cuban American National Council Leadership Award, 2002 San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame Award – Law, 2001 Association for Women in Communications’ Public Endeavor Award, 2000 Bexar County Women’s Bar Association Belva Lockwood Outstanding Lawyer Award, 1999 San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Corporate Executive of the Year Award, 1999 UCLA Latino Alumni Association Alumna of the Year Award, 1999 National Hispanic Employee Association Executive of the Year Award, 1992 Houston YWCA Hispanic Woman of the Year Award and the 1989 Woman of the Year Award from the Hispanic Women's Council. Hispanic Business Magazine named her to its "100 Influentials" List in 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1996 and listed her in the “80 Elite Hispanic Women Directory” in 2002, 2004 Top 25 Elite Women and 2005 Elite Women. Hispanic Magazine named Dennis to its 100 Top Latinas list in 2004 & 2003.
Born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, she holds a law degree from Loyola University of Los Angeles and an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. She and her husband, Michael, are the parents of three adult children.
Annual Conference
