Patty Thumann has called Gwinnett County home since she was nine years old. By the age of 13, she began working to help support her family. Born in Cuba, Patty, her father and her mother—who, unknown to them at the time, was pregnant—fled Castro’s communist regime when Patty was just seven.
The family escaped in the dead of night, bringing only the clothes they wore. Patty’s parents told her they were leaving Cuba for Canada, hoping to avoid the stigma associated with being labeled a “Gusano” (maggot), a slur used against those leaving post-Revolution Cuba. The Ardavins first stayed in a refugee camp before boarding a Mariel Boat bound for the Florida Keys. “My dad stayed up all night, waiting for our names to be called to leave the camp. We were crammed in the bottom of the boat—many boats sank because they were overcrowded,” Thumann recalls.
Once processed in Miami, the family moved to Coral Springs, Florida. Patty’s mother, a once-famous singer in Cuba, spoke no English and stayed home to care for the children. Her father, a trained engineer, walked miles to work night shifts at a factory. Meanwhile, family members who remained in Cuba had to hide, facing public humiliation and harassment. Cuban authorities destroyed all her mother’s records and memorabilia, erasing her from radio playlists. In 1982, after Patty’s father was offered a new job, the family moved to Gwinnett County, where they still live today. Both parents worked multiple jobs in Georgia, often in fast food and factory roles.
Patty met her husband, Brian, in 1995 at a Braves game, although both had attended Lilburn Middle School. Brian, born in New York, also moved to Gwinnett at a young age. His family worked in energy and owned a technical publishing company, which Brian later took over. In 2020, the couple combined their expertise to launch PBJ Media Holdings, a joint venture specializing in consulting and training for energy industry employees. PBJ Media Holdings is a certified Women-Owned Small Business through the Small Business Association and a Minority Business Enterprise.
Through the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, they founded the Thumann Foundation, a nonprofit that awards grants to local organizations supporting children’s health, nutrition, safety and education. Patty also serves on several boards in Gwinnett County, including the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett and the Medical Reserve Corps, where she is the Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer. “I never considered myself a public servant, but it has been so rewarding to do such great work within my community. Engagement and service became my passions, without ever working toward or realizing it,” she says.
“I am a proud Gwinnettian,” Patty exclaims. For more than 40 years, she has lived and worked in Gwinnett County and along Jimmy Carter Boulevard (JCB). However, it wasn’t until recently that she fully understood President Carter’s impact on her life. At a Jimmy Carter Tribute event hosted by Gateway85, Patty reflected, “It all happened so organically. It finally dawned on me—I was on JCB, listening to Jason Carter speak, realizing the personal impact of Jimmy Carter. If it weren’t for Carter accepting political refugees from Cuba in the ’80s, I wouldn’t have the life I have today. It was a full-circle moment.”
Only in recent years has Patty fully grasped what it means to live the American Dream as an immigrant. Growing up, she never felt different from her peers, but Gwinnett has transformed since then. “I didn’t grow up with the diversity we have today, and only as an adult have I learned to appreciate it. There are so many different nationalities, languages and international businesses here. Gwinnett represents the world.”
