Patty is the safety, security and environmental coordinator at Kraft Foods, Springfield, ,with the responsibility of managing its environmental program and plant initiatives, while assisting in the safety and security programs.

She leads the Kraft Green Team and serves as a member of the Energy Team, working to involve hourly and salaried associates to strive to meet the sustainability goals of the plant.  Patty also leads the plant’s Emergency Preparedness Team and is a member of the Emergency Planning Committee for Green County.  Patty serves on the Diversity Steering Team for Kraft - Cheese & Dairy Division of North America while serving on the local plant diversity team.

Patty has held many leadership positions at Kraft.  As an hourly work team coordinator on the shop floor, she was a driver for empowerment within her area and developed leadership training for those she managed.   Patty was the launch team leader for a new product line and received the Kraft Foods ABCD Award “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty” for her leadership role.  She served as a “champion” to roll out a new software program for the plant to manage the process from supplies in the door to finished product out the door.  She was even invited to go to another Kraft plant in Indiana to help facilitate its ‘go live’’ of the program.  She has led the plant’s Accident Investigation Team in the past three years, raising awareness to safety and proper investigation of an incident.

While working full time at Kraft Foods, Patty received an associate degree in office administration at Missouri State University and later returned to earn a B.S. degree in business management.

Among her other honors and awards:

• Kraft-Springfield GEA – Great Efforts Award – Volunteered to temporarily go to 3^rd shift to fill a supervisor vacancy,  working 40+ hours and attending classes at MSU
• Kraft-Springfield Diversity Award –Served as a diversity awareness instructor
• Kraft –Springfield Achiever Award – Quick response and aid to fellow associate involved in a serious accident
• Sigma Iota Epsilon, Honorary Management Fraternity – MSU

Patty has served for the past 15 years on the Ozark School District Board and currently is vice president. She also serves on the Ozark Schools Safety and Security Council and is involved with Care to Learn. She developed a school project called “Reading Around the Square,” which she has coordinated for the past three years to bring awareness to the importance of reading . The program hosts a family fun day on the Ozark square while collecting books for kids who could not afford to purchase their own.