Patti was born in California and has lived within 50 miles of the Pacific coast her whole life. Fortunately for many years, the beach was walking distance from her home. She began drawing and painting as a young child and returned to her passion much later. Her work is currently on exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum where she is a docent and can also be found at the Santa Paula Train Depot cooperative gallery managed by the Santa Paula Society of the Arts. Her paintings depict the local landscape and seaside.
Patti’s early career was in law, first as a paralegal in poverty law in Pacoima, then after law school, as an attorney in Beverly Hills. She became a mother of her first son at the same time as her brief was heard in the US Supreme Court. But she soon realized that she was dedicated to working with students rather than arguing in court.
She taught for many years in the Las Virgenes and Oak Park school districts. Her specialties included math, earth science and, of course, mock trial as well as staff development in math and mentoring student teachers. It was an exciting and fulfilling experience. She taught first grade through high school.
When Patti retired from teaching in 2012, she still had the determination to explore yet another field. She studied landscape architecture at UCLA and became a Master Gardener here in Ventura County. In the Master Gardener program, she not only grew plants but wonderful friendships. She then joined the board of directors for the Oceanaire federal credit union and was proud of its growth supporting first Oxnard, then Ventura and Simi Valley. For the past ten years a continuing source of inspiration is the OLLI program at Cal State University Channel Islands. Each term offers intriguing classes. Please ask her about attending these courses on Zoom.
Patti is delighted to join her Santa Paula friends here at the Townehouse as well as make new friends. She is especially excited about the fitness program including Neuro Fit. You can find Patti walking her two pups, Maggie and Mindy, and joining new creative companions in the art class.