Patti is an educator, published author and child, animal and environmental rights advocate. Master of Science in Education thesis: Hawaiian Marine Animal Emergency Response and Prerequisite Dialogue based largely on the themes of nonviolent communication and transformative dialogue.
Professional Educator
1991- Special Education Teacher for children with special needs in a wide variety of venues in Connecticut and Hawaii, USA, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Connecticut Teaching Certification#065 Comprehensive Special Education Pre-Kindergarten – grade 12
2006 – Author, Everyone Can Write About Whales
Volunteer
2008 -2012: State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR),
2008-2009: West Hawaii Marine Mammal Response Network (WHMMR)
2008-2012: Kauai’s Monk Seal Hui
2003-2018: Education Director – Connecticut based all-volunteer Cetacean Society International
2013-2018: Co-Chair Working Groups – World Cetacean Alliance
2018-2019: Global Council Chair – World Cetacean Alliance
2005 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers
Grant Awards
2007 Best Buy Teach award: Digital SLR camera for cetacean photo identification
2013 Grant award recipient: Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
Quebec Labrador Foundation/Atlantic Fund for the Environment for Marine Animal Survival Team (MAST) Marine animal stranding response/environmental education and outreach program “See it on the Beach? Do not Touch or Approach”
Philosophy
Thousands of hours of volunteer work and training in Marine Animal Emergency Response (turtles, Hawaiian Monk seals, cetaceans) honed, refined and galvanized Patti’s understanding of the necessity of caring for and communicating effectively with the humans who care for wildlife.
Passion for animals has great value, but passion for people who care for animals must be the priority
to facilitate enduring and meaningful change
Our planet is undergoing a massive shift; demands on our environmental resources are increasing threats to human and wildlife health at an unparalleled rate in all of human history. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary and innovative approaches and methodologies. Taking action in 2017, Patti Co-founded SEAS with partners Wendy van Gool and David Schofield to monitor, facilitate, learn from and document this paradigm shift in how we care for each other, and our planet.
Recognizing the paradox of increasing demand to “empty the tanks” of animals in the entertainment industry with no place or plan to re-home them, Patti envisioned a global team of specialists dedicated to collaborative and inclusive communication which respects and bridges gaps across culture, language, age, socioeconomics, race, tradition, ability and perspective to define and solve the complex phenomenon of developing true sanctuaries on the landscape of a swiftly changing planet.
SEAS is the manifestation of this vision.