For Dr. Patti Greene, entrepreneurship has never been confined to a single field or idea, but one constant has shaped every stage of her career: libraries. From her earliest experiences with her grandfather in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, to her work today, libraries have been the spaces that nurtured her curiosity, grounded her research, and supported her belief in creating opportunities that help people thrive.
Her love of learning can be traced back to the libraries that first shaped her thinking. As a child, she visited her local library often, describing it as “magical” and “otherworldly.” Later, while attending Penn State, she worked in the map room at the library and found refuge in its spaces and resources. Those experiences left a lasting imprint, reinforcing her belief that libraries are essential to discovery, exploration, and intellectual growth.
Greene believes libraries continue to play a vital role in helping students and researchers pursue meaningful questions and innovative ideas. Supporting libraries, she says, is more important now than ever. Her philanthropy, most recently supporting Penn State University Press’s Open Access initiative, reflects that conviction, extending the same equitable opportunities she once relied on to the next generation of learners and researchers.
“Libraries are a playground for developing ideas, a laboratory for developing research, and a construction site for building on those ideas,” Greene said. That perspective has guided her through a career defined by intellectual curiosity and a willingness to pursue questions others once overlooked.
When asked what mindset matters most for students hoping to make a difference through entrepreneurship, Greene answered quickly: passion and perseverance. Those same qualities have led her into one of the newest and most unexpected areas of her career, space law. She is currently working on a book exploring the intersection of space law and entrepreneurship, further expanding her interdisciplinary approach.
Her appreciation for storytelling, learning, and encouraging entrepreneurs — particularly women entrepreneurs — continues today. Greene was recently featured in the Smithsonian’s We Do Declare oral history initiative through the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. This important and timely project explores what independence has meant in women’s lives since the 1970s.