Patte has been a Realtor and member of the Shasta Association of Realtors since 1979. During her first decade in the business she served as Chairperson of the Grievance Committee, on the Board of Directors, as Treasurer of the Shasta Association and as a California Association of Realtors State Director. Following that period she served on and chaired the MLS Committee and has continually served on the Professional Standards Panel in years since. During the majority of her career Patte has been a local library activist; participating on every board, panel, and committee committed to a long term solution to preserve library services in Shasta County. Her involvement culminated in Shasta County receiving a Library Grant award in excess of 13 million dollars for library construction. In the past she also served a number of terms as Chairperson of Shasta Library Foundation and on the citizens committee overseeing the construction of the new Redding Library which opened in 2007. In the following years she served as a member of the Library Advisory Committee.