Patricia Duff

In 2006 Duff spearheaded the revival of The Common Good, a non-profit, non-partisan network that encourages political participation and increased understanding of critical national issues across party lines.  The group meets regularly with national leaders and experts on headline topics.  Duff has also hosted a political talk show, Duff Talk, which airs on the groundbreaking PlumTV network in resort markets throughout the United States. Guests have included Senator Bob Kerrey, Rev. Al Sharpton, Air America talk show host Al Franken, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., publisher Mortimer Zuckerman, conservative political pundit Tucker Carlson, Fox News commentator Monica Crowley, actor-activist Ron Silver, among others. The informal, sleeves-rolled up atmosphere of the show invites a fresh approach to hot button political discussion. She has also guest-hosted nationally on ABC radio network’s John Batchelor Show, on politics and post-9/11 issues and made appearances on CNN, ABC Fox and other programs.

Ms Duff has also taken on the issue of judicial reform in New York and nationwide. Ms. Duff
co-founded the Coalition for Judicial Justice along with District Attorney Joe Hynes of Brooklyn, representatives from New York bar associations, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Council for Economic Development, Fund for the Modern Courts and several other public interest groups. The Coalition is constituted to study reform of the judicial selection process in New York State and reform of the matrimonial courts. Ms Duff also founded Families for Justice, a grass roots advocacy organization, and has formed alignments with the National Coalition for Family Justice and other grass roots organizations seeking reform in family courts. These efforts have garnered numerous press reports and editorials for greater integrity and sensitivity of the courts to family issues.

Over the years Patricia Duff has played an active role in several of the nation’s prominent organizations and political campaigns. Her work has spanned the entertainment and political worlds, from local civic and community action to the national arena. Whether participating as a respected activist or, earlier in her career as vice president of two of the country’s leading political strategy and consulting firms in Washington, D.C., Squier-Eskew Communications and Patrick Caddell & Associates, Ms. Duff has lent her expertise to dozens of political races, including Mayoral, Gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns across the country, as well as to several Presidential election and two Presidential re-election efforts.

Ms Duff served on a Congressional investigative committee of the US House of Representatives which re-examined the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, produced a radio show for a national political commentator (John McLaughlin), produced a feature film, served as Associate Producer of the Democratic Convention, and spearheaded women’s outreach for political campaign efforts and charitable groups.

Ms Duff founded and chaired Show Coalition, the precursor to The Common Good.  This entertainment industry organization helped fuse Washington politics and the Hollywood community by informing and involving its members in many critically important political issues. While leading Show Coalition, Ms Duff also became a tireless advocate for Colors United/Living Literature, whose school programs served at-risk teens from Watts/South Central Los Angeles to Venice. The group was established to encourage learning, responsibility and good citizenship in youngsters by exposure to the written works of great leaders, thinkers and authors. A documentary about Colors United, “Colors Straight Up,” was nominated for an Academy Award in 1998.

Ms Duff was appointed by Republican Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan to serve as Commissioner for the Los Angeles Commission for Women and Ms Duff also served as Chair of the Teen Age Pregnancy Task Force under New York Governor Mario Cuomo. In 1995, President Clinton awarded Ms Duff a Presidential Commission to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board.

Ms Duff’s achievements have been frequently recognized. She received the “Woman of Vision” award from Women in Film: a “Golden Bear” award from the Los Angeles County Democratic Party; “Democrat of the Year” award by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party; and the “Citizen’s Achievement Award” from New Democratic Dimensions in New York City

Born in California, Ms. Duff moved to Europe as a child, and was educated in Belgium where she graduated from the International School of Brussels. She returned to the United States during her college years, earning a degree in International Economics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She has one child, Caleigh.

“Patricia Duff was the most high profile entertainment industry-related female political figure in Los Angeles….She quickly established herself as an independent and forceful individual in the forums she participated in.”
David Patrick Columbier, Quest Magazine

Cover Story, “Women We Love,” “Political Hotshot - Patricia Duff” - “As a mogul’s wife, she could just as easily take lunch at Le Dome and perfect her workout. Instead, she hot-wires L.A. to Washington, driving the entertainment community to support the homeless, the hungry, and the environment. If Hollywood has a conscience, she’s it.” Esquire Magazine