Dr. Richard “Rick” Patterson retired as the President of Eastern Wyoming College in 2017. Prior to that appointment, he taught for over a decade in both the criminal justice and psychology departments at EWC. He has worked in the criminal justice field as a police officer, field-training officer, and police sergeant. He also worked a number of years in various institutional and community correctional settings with both adults and juveniles. Dr. Patterson has been employed as a community mental health therapist, program director, and as executive director of a community mental health center. Most recently, he served as the Interim superintendent for the Goshen County School District and interim president of EWC.
He is a graduate of the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy, EWC’s criminal justice program and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and history from Chadron State College. His graduate education includes Master’s and Education Specialist degrees from Chadron State College as well as a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Wyoming.
In addition to serving on the Torrington City Council, he currently sits on the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, as well as being an adjunct criminal justice instructor for EWC.
A Wyoming native and Marine Corps veteran, Dr. Patterson and his wife Candi, have four grown children and eleven grandchildren. He is honored to have been elected to the Torrington city council and is committed to working hard to ensure it continues to be the great town he grew up in!