Introduction

In 1997, Dr. Patten started a company called Quality Ventures Incorporated.  This company focused on helping organizations complete the needed requirements to achieve ISO 9000 registration and certification.

In 2000, Dr. Patten expanded the business to become World Leadership Institute expanding the business offerings to include total organizational development as well as personal development for executive team members.

He now offers group in-office, individual coaching, and online programs. Dr. Patten is working to make the material he developed and the programs he offered in the past available to individuals and organizations at no cost.  

Dr. Larry G. Patten’s professional career includes over forty years in leadership, administration, and management in a broad range of fields including technology, education, government, as well as commercial and public broadcasting. He has also successfully started several companies and has provided organizational development programs and services to both profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Early Career

Dr. Patten’s career began in high school when, at the age of sixteen, he started a custom audio recording company. At that time, this was a “cutting edge business” based on what was a new emerging technology of audio recorders and condenser microphones. By the time he graduated from high school, he had built the company to be the largest custom phonograph record company in Iowa and shortly after his high school graduation obtained a franchise with Century Records.

Early Development of Distant Learning

In 1968, Mr. Patten joined Kirkwood Community College as an instructor teaching electronics, English, and business practices. Five years after beginning his teaching assignment, he accepted his first administrative position at Kirkwood heading up the development of some of the world’s first individualized instruction and distance learning programs in the country.  He was instrumental in placing KCCK-FM on the air as the college’s public radio station.  These two projects were funded by over four million dollars in grants and donations.

Iowa Public Television

In 1981, Larry became CEO of Iowa Public Television.  In this position, he reported to a board of trustees that was charged with the responsibility of governing the network.  During this time, he established and provided leadership for a seven-million-dollar capital campaign that resulted in a new facility for Iowa Public Television.  He also was instrumental in strengthing the relationship between Friends of IPTV and the network.

 

Politics

In 1982 he was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Cabinet.  At the request of the Governor, he provided leadership to several State Government Committees.  Later, he served as a consultant to the Iowa General Assembly on educational technology issues as well as to Congress’s Office of Technical Assessment on Educational Delivery Systems.

Digital Network Development

After serving at Iowa Public Television, he moved on to serve as Vice President of Digital Network Services at Teleconnect Company.  In his position, he developed some of the first long-line fiber optic systems for telecommunications in the country.  His responsibility extended not only to the technical development and deployment of the network but also the marketing and sales of the division’s communications products.

Radio Broadcasting

Larry served as president of a commercial broadcasting group. During this time, he was responsible for improving the organization as he moved it from having a financial loss to producing a significant profit.  At the request of the owner, he developed the plan and was responsible for the sale of the stations.  The station was sold for over twenty times cash flow.  This was a record high for the commercial radio industry at the time.

World Leadership Institute

In 1997, Dr. Patten began a company –  World Leadership Institute.  Dr. Patten wrote much of the material for World Leadership Institute’s programs including the videos and software that helps individuals learn.   Through World Leadership Institute, Dr. Patten offered programs to organizations and individuals that were designed to make a positive and sustainable difference in the organization’s operations and the individual’s life.  Dr. Patten has moved from Iowa to Atlanta and is not operating as LGPatten Company.

Quad Cities Radio

Larry and his son James produced a weekly thirty-minute radio show on WOC – AM in Davenport.   Quad Cities Business Radio was a great success.  It remained on the air until Larry made the decision to move to Atlanta.  When word got out that the show was not going to continue on WOC in the next quarter, the team was approached by two other stations to have it broadcast on their stations.  However,  Mr. Patten was committed to making the move to Atlanta.  The Quad Cities Times wrote an article about the achievement of the show. Click on the link to see the article. Quad Cities Times Article.

Other Achievements

C0lleges

Dr. Patten has held various administrative positions in colleges and universities.  Among his many positions, he served as Vice-Chancellor of  Distance Learning, President of a for-profit college, and in his last position before retiring in 2009, as Chancellor of a University.

ISO 9000

Dr. Patten was also an auditor for ISO 9000 as well as working with organizations on their development of Malcolm Baldridge standards.  He has written about Quality Systems and their importance to any organization.

Governor’s Cabinet Position

Larry served as a member of the cabinet for two governors in Iowa and as a consultant to the General Assembly. 

Politics

He was a major contributor to Linking for Learning: A New Course for Education, a project for the Congressional Office of Technical Assessment.

At the request of the Soviet Union Government, he prepared a paper on the use of technology in education and its effect on the social order.  The paper was presented to the Soviet officials in Moscow in 1989.

Consultant

He has been a consultant to agencies of both state and federal governments as well as many for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

 

Along with helping organizations with their performance improvement and development around the concepts contained in his book Building Champion Organizations through Strategic Organizational Development, Dr. Patten also provides numerous seminars.

He has written a number of books on business and personal development as well as three novels.  You can see a list of these books by clicking here

 

Education

Larry received both his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Iowa.

He was privileged to be asked to attend the Summer Writers Workshop held at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Patten earned a Doctorate of  Theology in 2015.

Family

Dr. Patten and his wife have been married for over 50 years and enjoy four wonderful children and eight wonderful grandchildren.