225-505-9416
304 LAUREL STREET SUITE 1A, BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, 70801,
Subjects: All Subjects
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Former Deputy Commissioner to Governor Jeff Landry
Former Chief Administrative Office and Chief Financial Officer to Ascension Parish Government
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Governmental Auditing Professional (CGAP) and Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA)
Patrick Goldsmith joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in February 2026, after more than three decades of experience at the highest levels of Louisiana government and politics. Patrick currently serves as Principal in Cornerstone's Baton Rouge office, supporting clients focused on budget and appropriations matters.
Prior to Cornerstone, Patrick was Deputy Commissioner to Governor Jeff Landry. In that role, he held the appointment authority for 1,600 state employees and oversaw the 22 sections of the Division of Administration - including statewide IT, Accounting, Auditing, Procurement, Risk Management and Budgeting. He also advised the Commissioner of Administration and Gov. Landry on fiscal issues and led the development of the $50 billion Executive Budget and $12 billion Capital Outlay Plan.
Patrick previously served in Ascension Parish Government as Chief Administrative Officer. He supervised heads of all departments and functions within the parish. He was also the Chief Financial Officer to the Ascension Parish, where he directed all activities of the Finance, Purchasing, Legal, Grants, Human Resources, Data Analytics and Project Management Departments.
Earlier in his career, Patrick spent nearly a decade as the Director of the House Fiscal Division for the Louisiana House of Representatives. He directed all activities of the House's Fiscal Division including research, analysis, drafting and committee-staffing on all state fiscal matters. In addition, Patrick advised House leadership and provided committee oversight for Appropriations, Ways and Means, Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, Revenue Estimating Conference and other committees. As part of his responsibilities, Patrick oversaw the drafting, amendments and final passage of the General Appropriation Bill and Capital Outlay bill.
He is also viewed as one of the state's top auditing and efficiency experts, having spent nearly two decades in the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office where he held roles such as Director of Performance Audit and Actuarial Services, Performance Audit Manager and Staff/Senior Auditor.
Patrick holds a Master of Public Administration and Bachelor's in Finance from Louisiana State University.
Former senior staffer to Governor Bobby Jindal
Top Forty Under 40, Business Report in 2014
National Finance Committee member, Republican Governors Association
Chairman of Emerging Leaders Council, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
2) Agilify
4) Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana
5) Baton Rouge Area Foundation
6) Blackrock Funds Services Group
9) Carvana
11) CHANGENT
12) Chick Fil A
15) Clover
16) Conduent, Inc. and its Affiliates
18) Elevance Health, and its Affiliates dba Anthem, Inc.
19) Endeavors
20) GDIT
21) Google LLC and its Affiliates
22) Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership
23) Historic Tax Credit Coalition
24) Louisiana Clerks of Court Association
25) Louisiana Energy and Power Authority
29) Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
30) MMR Group
31) Motion Picture Association, Inc
32) Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.
33) Palo Alto
34) Plexos Group
38) Software AG
39) Solstice Advanced Materials Inc.
40) Southern Energy Renewables LLC
41) Sparkhound
42) SRI Inc.
46) Trane U.S. Inc
49) W&T Offshore
50) Waymo
51) YMCA
52) Youth Force NOLA
53) Youth Villages
Nial Patel joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in 2011 after more than seven years of service to Governor Bobby Jindal, dating back to his first run for governor in 2003. As one of the longest serving senior staff members for the Governor, Nial worked as the director of scheduling. Additionally, when Governor Jindal was elected to Congress, Nial served as his executive assistant. During his tenure with Jindal, Nial's duties varied from campaigning to research and outreach, working with elected politicians, stakeholders, and government officials from Washington, D.C. and across the state of Louisiana.
Nial holds a Masters in Economics from the Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University (LSU), and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from LSU, where he also minored Political Science and Business Administration.
Originally from New Orleans, Nial attended Holy Cross High School and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. In 2014, he was recognized as one of the top forty under 40 leaders in the community, and is alum of the Baton Rouge Leadership and Louisiana Leadership programs. Nial serves on the Southeast Super Region Committee, Greater New Orleans Inc.'s Next Gen Council, New Schools for Baton Rouge Board, Teach for America Board, and is Chairman of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry's Emerging Leaders Council. He has helped raised money for the American Cancer Society, Republican Governor's Association, and several elected officials. Nial currently resides in Baton Rouge.