Pat attended Clemson University and graduated with a degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Tennessee in 1975. Practicing as an interior designer, Pat started her career with hospital and hotel design projects for several architectural firms.

Pat was vice president of T.H.E. Design Inc. for twenty years prior to forming her own company, the Practice Design Group, with Dr. Jeff Carter in 2002. Pat has written numerous articles on dental office design in Dental Economics and other publications and is a frequent speaker at many national and state dental meetings including the ADA Annual Meeting, the Hinman Meeting, Texas Dental Association Meeting, Greater New York Meeting, Chicago Midwinter Meeting and Southwest Dental Conference.

Pat was at the forefront of the evolution of dental office design that utilized architecture and interior design to elevate dental facilities from the realm of generic office space.

Since 1979, she has participated in the design and construction of over 2,000 dental facilities and is considered a leading expert on the provision of dental office design services nationwide.

In 2002, Pat and her husband Jeff Carter, DDS formed the Practice Design Group (PDG) in response to dentists seeking a professional, collaborative, and innovative design resource. Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP (PRA) and Practice Design Group (PDG) first started working together in 2012 and the relationship has blossomed over many projects. PRA and PDG have worked together as committed strategic partners for many years. In 2024, the firms formally merged, bringing Pat fully into the PRA family to help more dentists achieve their dreams of staff-centered and patient-approved dental offices.

Associations:
Midmark Corporation Valued Innovative Board of Experts (VIBE)
Wells Fargo Practice Finance-Dental Office Design Consulting Committee
Hu Friedy Mfg. Greenlight Dental Compliance Center
American Dental Association Practical Guide to Dental Office Design

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture – University of Tennessee