About the Authors
What Kids Need to Succeed: Four Foundations of Adult Achievement was authored by father-daughter team Harry S. Patten and Andrea Patten.
Harry developed the sales skills that are the foundation for his business by selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Since 1962, this self-made millionaire has become the foremost buyer and seller of rural and recreational land in America. He is a father and a grandfather.
Throughout her life, Andrea Patten has distinguished herself as a creative problem-solver. In addition to being a Mom, she has spent most of her adult life working in human services, both in the public and private sectors. Her particular area of expertise requires an entrepreneurial mind as she has played a key role in helping organizations bring such innovations as bilingual programming, family treatment and networking for comprehensive client care. Andrea is a licensed addictions counselor who has worked in substance abuse treatment, child protection and domestic violence settings.
"My work as a family advocate exposed me to a wide variety of families and problems. I'm fascinated by the ways they choose to solve them. My favorite part of direct service work was always helping people to identify and connect with the well of optimism and strength inside of them. That's one of the reasons I like the Four Foundations so much. The four foundations not only remind people of what they are capable of, they serve as a way to filter and prioritize information and ideas: I think there's something for every family here."
"Teaming with my father to write What Kids Need to Succeed was a tremendous growth opportunity for me. It took me out of a familiar role and allowed me to reach families in an entirely new manner. I think that this book can provide hope to any family, regardless of their circumstances."
When her son was young she took a break from human services and went to work in the marketing department of her family’s business. There she discovered more similarities.
"I've always had a gift for seeing the common ground between issues, organizations or departments that appear, on the surface, to be very different from one another. It's easy for me to find areas of overlap that allow them to work together. Whether an organization offers a product or a service, its message needs to be presented in a way which best serves its intended audience. That's one of the reasons I like the Four Foundations so much."
Andrea and her co-author father have always been interested in helping projects (and people) develop to their fullest potential. Andrea works with organizations to tailor programs, workshops, and keynote addresses to meet their unique needs. In addition, the pair have provided numerous copies of What Kids Need to Succeed to well-run organizations serving kids and families. Clients, staff and volunteers are encouraged to contact us to see if we can work together on your project.
For more information on Andrea's clinical background as well
as talks and workshops, visit
andreapatten.com