L. Eric Patterson

Leonard Eric Patterson is currently serving as the Director of the Federal Protective Service. Patterson is also a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General (Special Agent) and was the 14th Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Andrews AFB, MD. As the AFOSI Commander, Patterson oversaw AFOSI's worldwide network of military and civilian special agents stationed at major Air Force installations and a variety of special operating locations.
Education.
Patterson is a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Howard University. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. Patterson is also a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and Air War College.
Military career.
Patterson entered the United States Air Force in 1975 as a missile launch officer. He became an AFOSI special agent in 1979 and commanded AFOSI units at the detachment, squadron and regional levels at numerous stateside and overseas locations. He conducted and supervised a variety of felony-level investigations common to AFOSI, with specialization in counterintelligence and protective service operations as well as oversight of special programs. Prior to his last position as Commander of AFOSI, the general was the Operations Director for AFOSI. Patterson is a native of Washington, D.C.
Major awards and decorations.
Patterson is the recipient of the following:
Post-Military Career.
After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, Patterson served in a variety of roles, such as a principal with Booz Allen Hamilton and Deputy Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and HUMINT Center at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he directed and conducted counterintelligence and human intelligence activities worldwide to meet the Department of Defense requirements. In 2010, Patterson was appointed Director of the Federal Protective Service (FPS), which is a subcomponent of the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), and continues to work there serving his country.