Patty Hagen, the longtime executive director of downtown St. Louis’ T-Rex entrepreneurship and innovation center, died suddenly Tuesday. She was 63.
Hagen died Tuesday at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, where she was receiving care after experiencing a brain aneurysm Monday, T-Rex said in a news release. Hagen was hired as T-Rex's first executive director in 2014, becoming a key figure in St. Louis’ startup and innovation sectors during her decade in the role. She led expansion efforts at T-Rex, located at 911 Washington Ave. and home to nearly 200 companies, as the nonprofit innovation center became a hub for geospatial technology.
“The loss of Dr. Patty Hagen not only weighs on our hearts, but the heart and spirit of St. Louis as a whole. Patty was the most generous, patient, and inspiring leader we could have asked for at T-Rex. She refused to call the T-Rex staff her ‘employees,’ instead her colleagues. She was a mentor to us all, and a guiding light to the future of entrepreneurship and innovation in St. Louis,” T-Rex said in a statement. “While we’ve lost our friend, her legacy can still be found across the St. Louis region, and will remain for generations to come."
Prior to joining T-Rex in 2014, Hagen was executive director of the Audubon Center at Riverlands in West Alton, Illinois, and formerly an associate dean at Saint Louis University’s graduate school and college of arts and sciences. Hagen earned a doctoral degree in public policy from SLU.
Hagen’s tenure leading T-Rex involved launching several projects focused on geospatial technology, with the innovation center putting a focus on the sector given its proximity to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s new $1.7 billion western headquarters in north St. Louis that’s slated to open in 2026. T-Rex opened its Geospatial Innovation Center in 2020. The Geospatial Innovation Center, which spans 16,000 square feet on T-Rex’s fourth floor, houses operations for several geospatial companies. T-Rex also has a partnership intermediary agreement with NGA and is home to Moonshot Labs, NGA’s first unclassified innovation center, a 12,000-square-foot facility at T-Rex.
“Our hearts are very heavy with the loss of Patty, who grew T-Rex not only as a business and technology incubator and accelerator, but also as a community of entrepreneurs that has played an integral role in growing St. Louis’ tech ecosystem, particularly in the geospatial sector,” said business group Greater St. Louis Inc.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said Thursday in a social media post that Hagen was a "fierce advocate for St. Louis’s start up community."
The U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation on Thursday commended Hagen’s efforts at T-Rex in boosting the St. Louis region’s expertise in geospatial intelligence.
“Under Dr. Hagen’s leadership, T-Rex's Geospatial Innovation Center has supported countless innovations in the geospatial intelligence discipline, helped ensure a strong pipeline of talent for the GEOINT community, and fostered economic vitality in St. Louis and the surrounding region,” the foundation said in a social media post.
A memorial has been set up at T-Rex's fifth floor at 911 Washington Ave. where individuals can drop off flowers or mementos, and share messages in Hagen's honor. Tech group TechSTL has named its STEM Scholarship Fund in her memory. T-Rex said it plans to host a “toast” to Hagen’s life at 4:30 p.m., May 21, at T-Rex.
A visitation and memorial service for Hagen is scheduled for May 18 at the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park. The visitation begins at 9 a.m., with the service starting at 11 a.m. Hagen is survived by her husband, Brad, and son, Connor.
