That was ten years ago. Today her business STRATEGIES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES is going strong. When she started out Patricia sensed the need for human resources management expertise in small technology-based companies. "I had seen the problems many small companies had and the trouble they got themselves into inadvertently," she states. Her experience told her she was well equipped to both prevent and correct mistakes for those companies who would use her talent. And time has proven her right.

To keep pace with changes in the workplace, Patricia continually learns and sharpens her skills. She regularly attends professional seminars in specific areas of human resources and belongs to a range of human resource professional groups. Add to that her three degrees - an MBA from Wharton; an MA in foreign affairs via night school overseas; and a BA from Purdue in history and political science - and you have a highly versatile women business owner.

Patricia is not a newbie to the technical world and has been online since 1988. "My first technical training was in Fortran and then COBOL," she smiles, "So you know I have been around a bit."

Patricia began her career as a personnel officer in the US Air Force. "The most unusual and difficult work I have done involved casualty notification while I was in the military. While most of these were due to accidents, this included telling the next of kin of death in combat and, worst of all, men missing in action," she reports. "I cannot hear Taps to this day without a wave of emotion related to the people I met doing this work."

During this time she noted a difference between men and women's responses. "Women, given their traditional roles, had the opportunity by offering coffee to have a few private moments after you told them. Men generally had no similar role, since offering liquor was not common, and thus had no 'natural' excuse to get a little privacy -- and never asked. I did learn to suggest that they take a moment alone while I waited." Not surprisingly, most of Patricia's volunteer work is for the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

In addition to her column for DCWW, Patricia has written career development articles for the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton. Not only is Patricia a writer, she is also a speaker. She has spoken at HR professional meetings and women's professional organizations conferences as well as for national meetings of the Special Libraries Association, the Society for Scholarly Publishing, and NAB.

While Patricia loves to travel, she enjoys living in the Washington area. "There are so many wonderful museums and events to choose from," she says. "Much of my family comes in for Independence Day on the Mall each year so my nieces and nephews think this is a terrific place too."

Reading is a favorite pastime for Patricia. "While I read a lot of science and history, I devour murder mysteries in times of stress."

Patricia's bookmarks are extensive with many on HR, aging issues, and law. A sampling of those she thinks DCWW would enjoy include:

3M's Office Ergonomics Self-Help

Librarians Index to the Internet

Everything on careers

4000 Years of Women in Science

Dr Matrix's Web World of Science

Yoga class online

Life Expectancy info