Patty, a NJ native, returned to her roots after graduating from Central College in Pella, Iowa. She has spent over 40 years in the human service field working for and running non-profit agencies before pursuing a full time career in Real Estate. Although she loved working with people and assisting them through many of life’s struggles, she left that field looking for something different that would give her more flexibility and time with her grandchildren. Interestingly, her years of experience in human service have been a good fit with her work as a Realtor.  It has given her a unique understanding of the needs of the people with whom she works. She recognizes that although buying or selling a home may be the most pressing need when people walk into her office, there are often many other issues which need to be taken into consideration. “It’s not just about buying or selling, for most people it’s a major life change, and with that comes lots of issues to take into consideration,” she explains.  She tries to get to know the people with whom she works and understand their individual and family needs. Knowing that even under the best of circumstances, buying and selling a home can be stressful, she works very hard to reduce the stress by helping her clients to understand and become an active part of the process.  According to Patty, “Most times stress is the result of people not knowing what is going to happen or why. It’s my job to make sure they know what is happening and can prepare for it.” Patty is a member of the Pike/Wayne Association of Realtors and the founder of the Upper Delaware LGBT Center, the local LGBTQ organization serving  Milford, PA and the surrounding areas. Additionally, she is a  trainer and  consultant teaching LGBTQ cultural competency classes for schools, human service agencies and with the NJ Child Welfare Training Partnership through Rutgers University.