Banner photo of Patty Dreier hiking in Sedona, Arizona
Patty Dreier’s whole life has been dedicated to helping people become better stewards of our planet. With a global vision to honor the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2020, Patty wrote Empowered: One Planet at a Time for young adults and their teachers and mentors. The book was launched on January 31, 2020.
Patty Dreier deeply cares about people and our Earth which is why she dedicated her life’s capstone to empowering young adults to stand up for their planet and themselves. She knows that for young adults to have a brighter future, they need to be equipped and supported as change makers who will bravely and confidently step up to help us face challenges and seize opportunities. That is why she wrote Empowered: One Planet at a Time for young adults and their teachers and mentors.
Over the past thirty years as an educator and leader, including eight years as an elected official representing 71,000 citizens in central Wisconsin, Patty has helped thousands of citizens build their knowledge and skills to stand up on local and global issues that matter to them. Sharing her local, state, national, and international experiences, she inspires readers to see themselves as citizens of Planet Earth with all the authority they need to be powerful agents for change. She has a Master of Science degree in Natural Resource
Management/Environmental Education and is certified by John C. Maxwell as a teacher, coach, and speaker. The whole Earth is her home.
“I wrote this book for young adults and their high school and university teachers and mentors to address subjects such as leadership, citizenship, and how to take action on social and environmental issues to get results. It will be useful in the classroom or as a resource for groups of young adults who want to take control of their future. ”
A few More things about Patty
Over three decades of diverse leadership experience in business, nonprofit, higher education and government (local, state, national, and international).
2024 Ray Zillmer Award: for “enduring enthusiasm for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and dedicated advocacy in protecting the natural and cultural heritage of Wisconsin’s glacial landscape.”
2020 Winn Rothman History Award from the Portage County Historical Society for “significant contributions to the preservation of the county’s history” through the book, Legacy of a Pearl Harbor Survivor: Will Lehner Remembers, she co-authored with 98-year-old Will Lehner in 2019.
2018 Rotary Paul Harris Fellow for “Service Above Self.”
Former leadership roles as a volunteer for the Ice Age Trail National Scenic Trail and the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame Foundation.
Professional grant writer with over $200 million in grant awards.
Commander’s Award for Public Service, U.S. Army, 1992.
City Coin from Lord Mayor, Wuerzburg, Germany, 1992, for collaboration on German-American partnerships.
Co-Author of Earth Matters: A Challenge for Environmental Action, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., 1990.
What young adults who reviewed the book are saying
“This book gave me tools and resources to put my activism into action and gave me hope that I am capable of making the change that I desperately wish to see.”
“I feel much more empowered, confident, and ready to get started to try and make changes than I did before. I was one of those people who wanted to make a change but felt too intimidated to move forward. The exercises make it seem much less daunting!”
“Sharing your stories as an elected official and how you listened to concerned citizens who came forward helps your audience see that standing for their beliefs and going to their elected officials isn’t as scary as they thought.”
“This book had an impact on my own views regarding what I AM responsible for, and what I COULD BE responsible for, here on Earth.”