PATTY COUSINS serves as Global Officer, Human Resources Business Operations. In her role, Patty acts as a connection point across all HR Operations including HR Services, Contracts, Compliance, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Human Capital coordination. Patty also collaborates closely with Marriott’s HR Centers of Excellence, Regional HR teams, and other disciplines to optimize HR Operations globally.

Prior to her current role, Patty led Marriott’s employment law function, where she collaborated with business leaders to solve challenging problems and promote compliance. Her career with Marriott began in the Law Department in 2003 as Senior Counsel, followed by promotion to Vice President and Assistant General Counsel in 2008. Patty continued to take on increasing levels of responsibility, and was promoted to Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Employment Team Leader in 2015.

In that role, she oversaw a team of five attorneys with responsibility for employment law counseling and dispute resolution in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Her influential advisory role with the Human Resources organization led to her formally joining the senior HR leadership team in 2022.

During her years with Marriott, Patty has advised on the full range of issues impacting the employee life cycle.

She has provided employment law guidance on significant company acquisitions, divestitures, and restructurings, including the Starwood integration and Marriott Vacations Worldwide spin off. She also previously served as primary employment lawyer for Marriott’s operations in Europe.

Prior to joining Marriott, Patty was Associate General Counsel with Amtrak. She began her career as a practicing attorney with the law firm, Venable, Baetjer and Howard, where she worked with large institutional clients in a variety of industry sectors including government contracting, financial services, education, hospitality, food service, and non-profit. Patty also clerked for the Honorable Robert L. Karwacki of the Maryland Court of Appeals in Annapolis, Maryland.

Patty received her Juris Doctor from University of Maryland School of Law, where she served as an editor on the Maryland Law Review. She received her Bachelor of Arts with General Honors and High Honors in English from the University of Maryland College Park. Patty currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University of Maryland Alumni Association. She is the mother of three, stepmother of three, and lives with her family in the Washington, DC area.