Karen B. Patterson, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Exceptional Student and Deaf Education Department at the University of North Florida. She holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degree in Special Education from Kent State University. Her professional experiences have included teaching children with developmental disabilities and emotional and behavior disorders at the K-12 level in the Cleveland Public Schools, Ohio and in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Patterson joined UNF in 2003 and was awarded tenure in 2009. She began serving as Department Chairperson in January 2010. Her department offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in Exceptional Student Education, Deaf Education, and ASL/English Interpreting. Dr. Patterson’s research has a focus on improving K-12 practices for underserved children in special education and investigating the impact of collaborative partnerships and parental involvement for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Dr. Patterson co-sponsors UNF’s student chapter of CEC and she was awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2008.