Professor Patterson has experiences in both academic and nonprofit corporation work. He teaches courses in McIntire's Management Communication Program. His professional experiences in academia have included teaching courses in corporate communication, rhetoric, rhetorical theory and criticism, campaigns, small-group problem solving, business and professional communication, and public speaking. Professor Patterson’s professional experiences in the nonprofit sector include nonprofit [501(c)(3)] executive management and leadership and postsecondary accreditation/compliance.

Professor Patterson’s teaching, professional, and scholarly interests include business and professional communication, persuasion, rhetorical and cultural theory, public speaking, great historical speeches, corporate communication, technical communication and writing, the analysis of public and organizational discourse, communication assessment, communication pedagogy, and executive leadership. He is active in professional societies exploring the study of communication knowledge and the application of communication skills, and is a Rural Communication Scholar at the Rural Communication Institute at Tarleton State University (Texas).