Patrick Santoro is a performance educator, director, and artist-scholar committed to the transformative power of storytelling as a tool for learning, connection, and social change. With over thirty years of experience across educational and professional stages, he brings together art, pedagogy, and community engagement to foster dialogue and empowerment through creative practice.

Patrick currently serves as Program Director of the McKinley Park Resilient Community Initiative at Aquinas Literacy Center in Chicago, where he designs and facilitates community-based English language, civic literacy, and resilience-building programs for immigrant and refugee adults. A certified English language teacher, he draws on his background in performance to create dynamic, learner-centered experiences rooted in storytelling, embodiment, and shared cultural knowledge.

From 2012 to 2025, Patrick founded and led the Theatre and Performance Studies program at Governors State University—the only Illinois public university program of its kind—where he served as Professor and Artistic Director, teaching courses in storytelling, identity, culture, and social change.

He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His theatrical directing credits include Fahrenheit 451, The Laramie Project, A Raisin in the Sun, Cloud 9, The Exonerated, and original adaptations exploring contemporary social issues. Patrick serves on the editorial board of the Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal and is a recipient of the Ellis-Bochner Award for personal narrative research.