Our Team

She received a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Drake University, a master’s degree in community counseling from Concordia University, and a doctor of education degree in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University. From the very beginning, the roots of her career have been firmly planted in the field of education and student-based service, starting with the position of admissions counselor and then advancing to academic advisor, high school director of guidance and counseling, judicial consultant, and assistant department chair. Currently, Dr. Patton holds the position of psychology professor and has merited consideration for tenure at Eastern Florida State College (EFSC). In addition to teaching a variety of courses and serving on several boards at EFSC, Dr. Patton also extends her counseling and psychology educational outreach by serving as an adjunct instructor at the highly respected institutions of Shorter University, Des Moines Area Community College, Eastern Tennessee State University, and City Vision College.

Her vision of empowering education reaches beyond the formal classroom and is applied to the business community. As the CEO and founder of the Patton Consulting Group, a nationwide for profit management firm, Dr. Patton’s knowledge and skills also fuel her passion for helping small businesses to grow. The Patton Consulting Group serves nonprofit as well as for profit businesses and provides a plethora of services including graphic design, marketing, public relations, governmental contracting, and association management support. A particular innovative expression of her commitment to addressing emerging societal issues through education-based partnerships is Dr. Patton’s creation of a community development corporation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides social services to an underrepresented population in Des Moines, IA. In partnership with several colleges and universities, Purpose Community Development Foundation provides childcare, counseling, disability services, and internships to these underrepresented college students within Des Moines’ inner city.

Her journalistic skills and love of travel led her into an opportunity to represent the United States as a foreign correspondent. Her assignment was to cover and report on European reactions to the tragic events surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America’s World Trade Center. During this assignment, she interviewed members of Germany’s parliament as well as influential policy makers. Dr. Patton’s journalistic skills were honed as a columnist for the Times Delphic newspaper and as a staff writer for the Press Citizen. Her position as a sports writer for Cyclone Illustrated also allowed her to cover Big 12 athletic teams, specifically, Iowa State University’s football team’s media day as well as their home games.

She is no stranger to public appearances in a variety of forums. Because of her experience with a diverse range of topics, Dr. Patton has been invited to give keynote presentations, academic lectures, and team building and conflict resolution seminars. Her most recent speaking engagements include keynote addresses for the parent and student orientation of Florida A&M University where she also serves on the university’s alumni board, the Police Athletic League (PAL), North Carolina and Connecticut Human Service Education Conference, Circuit Court of Cook County Third Municipal District Family Violence Coordinating Council, Christian Community Development Association, Harper College Conference, and the International Mentoring Society. Dr. Patton’s experience includes the media industry as well. She has held positions as a radio personality for Life 107.1 and she has been talent in commercials for Banker’s Trust, Iowa State University, Mudd Advertising, and the Kraft Foods Group. Her most recently completed project was with Wiley Publishing Company as a talent in their bestselling first-of-its-kind electronic psychology textbook.

In addition to being a member of The Links Incorporated, a volunteer service organization, Dr. Patton also has had the honor of being nominated for the LEAD Brevard 4 under 40 award. This award recognizes and celebrates the next generation of leadership on the Space Coast of Florida and salutes Brevard County’s top young professionals for their professional achievement, community impact, and leadership. Dr. Patton was also selected as a research fellow with the Prejudice Institute. While with the institute, she was involved in a grass roots quantitative study on how children in early education within the Washington, DC and Maryland areas identify with prejudice.

During this time, she also transitioned into higher education as an adjunct instructor at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, where she also began her journey into writing centers, conducting orientations and workshops, as well as assisting students one-on-one with English papers, Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) assignments, and Writing in the Discipline (WID) projects. From there, after moving to Florida in 2009, she landed at Eastern Florida State College. Currently, Sharon teaches English on the Melbourne campus and is the Coordinator of the Melbourne Writing Center. She has also published a number of professional and creative works.