Steve Patterson serves as the Second Vice President of the National League of Cities, and is the Mayor of Athens, OH. Mayor Patterson has lived in Athens since 1998, working as an Associate Professor of Health Psychology at Ohio University until March 2016. He served in the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard for over 20 years in both the Enlisted (9 years) and Commissioned (14 years) ranks and retired as a Major with the District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Fighter Wing.

In addition to his role at NLC, Mayor Patterson serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Municipal League, the International Town-Gown Association (Immediate Past President), the Athens County Economic Development Council, the Buckeye Hills Regional Council, the Athens County Foundation, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC), and the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (Chair). He also serves as President of the Mayors Partnership for Progress and is involved in the Ohio Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Athens County Transportation Improvement District, the Athens County Regional Planning Commission, the Athens City Planning Commission (Chair) and the Ohio Mayors Alliance.