Patty Dineen has been convening and moderating National Issues Forums (NIF) in Pennsylvania and other states since 1994. She has assisted with issue framing and large deliberative forum projects for the Kettering Foundation and others including the Philadelphia Inquirers Citizen Voices projects, the National Summit on School Design (an initiative of the American Architectural Foundation), the National Parent Teachers Association, Common Ground in Akron Ohio, and Global Connections-Pittsburgh forums. She has written issue books and materials for the American Bar Association and other clients. She is a freelance writer and the contributing editor for the National Issues Forums News (online) at www.nifi.org. Dineen earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Thiel College, a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master's of fine arts degree in nonfiction writing from Chatham University. She also works as a museum educator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and is a member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).