Paniccia, Patti (1952 – )

Energetic legal-minded surf-world promotor, organizer and competitor, originally from East Los Angeles; cofounder of International Professional Surfers, the sport's original world tour platform; and long-time advocate for women's issues, in surfing and the workplace.

Paniccia was born (1952) in Los Angeles to an Italian-born cabinet-maker father and homemaker mother, and began surfing at age 13, during visits to her grandparents' home in Huntington Beach. Around this time, Paniccia's father,...