Patricia Ann Prelock is an American speech pathologist and academic administrator serving as the interim president of the University of Vermont since 2024.

[1] Prelock was inspired to pursue a career in speech pathology after her younger brother, James, was born with Down syndrome.

[2] During Prelock's studies, she worked on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship and balanced her academic responsibilities with raising her young son, incorporating him into her research on cognition and communication.

[1][3] She secured a federal grant to develop a virtual clinic for supporting individuals with disabilities in rural areas and served as training director on the project.

[1] Following the end of her first marriage, Prelock later married Bill Congleton, a general and family practice attorney, and has continued her work in the field, contributing to disability support and education in Vermont.