Cameron Patterson

Dr. Kameron Van Patterson is Director of Programs for The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice & Ethics, and Assistant Research Professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. In these complementary roles, Dr. Patterson designs, develops, promotes, and leads the implementation of strategic initiatives and programs aimed at improving outcomes and creating more robust structures of opportunity for people from vulnerable or disadvantaged communities who are disproportionality impacted by social, economic, and political inequalities. Dr. Patterson is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Achievement America, LLC—a consulting company established in 2014 to empower a new generation of American leadership by advancing excellence and equity in education. He is dedicated to building beloved communities through the formation of strategic partnerships for learning, and the advancement of restorative justice, racial and economic equity, intentional diversity, and political inclusion.

Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Patterson served as the Director of Foundation and Government Grants at The Ellington Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works in collaboration with the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DESA) and its institutional partners to promote the success of Ellington students and families. Dr. Patterson’s scholarly research employs critical race theory to examine the historical impact of inequality and political movements for racial and economic justice throughout the African Diaspora. His most recent publication entitled “(Re)Considering Race in the Desegregation of Higher Education,” appears in the Spring 2012 (Vol. 46, Issue No. 3) edition of the University of Georgia Law Review, and his commentary on contemporary issues concerning restorative social justice has been featured in online journals like The Perkins Perspective. Currently, he serves on the Executive Committee of the African American Studies Department (AASD) and teaches two courses within the Department: Black Politics from Frederick Douglass to Barack Obama (AAS 499), and Introduction to African American Studies (AAS 100). As a self-described activist intellectual, Dr. Patterson strives to advance the praxis of Pan-Africanism in the tradition of 20th Century scholars and statesmen such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and Kwame Nkrumah among others.

Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, Dr. Patterson has been recognized for numerous achievements in education and is a two-time recipient of the Pedro Noguera Volunteer of the Year Award. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and a minor in Education from the University of California, Berkeley; and holds a Ph.D. in African and African American Studies with an emphasis in the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Harvard University (2004 — 2012)
• Bachelor’s Degree University of California, Berkeley (1999 — 2003)

Companies

• Director of Academic Affairs, Curriculum and Instruction Duke Ellington School of the Arts (2014)
• National Director, CDF Freedom Schools Program Children's Defense Fund (2012 — 2014)
• Adjunct Professor Clark Atlanta University (2012 — 2012)
• Teaching Fellow Harvard University (2007 — 2011)
• Resident Tutor and Academic Adviser Harvard University (2006 — 2011)
• Multimedia Production Assistant, Lamont Library Harvard University (2004 — 2011)
• Teacher and Counselor W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute-Princeton University Campus (Summer Program) (2009 — 2010)
• Program Coordinator, Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) Harvard Divinity School (2005 — 2007)
• Graduate Research Assistant Harvard Law School (2005 — 2005)