Pat Bean became the County Administrator in December 2003. Previously, she served as Deputy County Administrator for 12 years. Her 32 years of experience in Hillsborough County government includes 12 years heading up the county's human services, including health care, children's issues and programs for the elderly. She played an integral part in the development of the county's national award-winning Health Care Program. She also served as Assistant County Administrator over Public Works, Fire Rescue, Planning and Growth Management, Solid Waste and other municipal-type programs.

Ms. Bean holds a B.A. degree in sociology from Winthrop University and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of South Florida.

She served a two-year term as President of the National Association of County Administrators, served on a National Advisory Board for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and served as an evaluator for the Kennedy School at Harvard's "Innovations in American Government" Program.

She was named the 2007 Government Woman of the Year and received the Outstanding Public Administrator’s Award. Recently, she was invited by Winthrop University to become a member of the Advisory Board for their Distinction in Leadership Program.