James Patteson was appointed the Director of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) in December 2009. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Patteson served as Director of Land Development Services, one of DPWES' five main business areas. He began his career with Fairfax County in 1985 and has worked in a variety of agencies including the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Office of the County Executive, various DPWES divisions and Facilities Management, where he also served as director. He is also on the advisory board of the Virginia Tech Land Development Design Initiative. Mr. Patteson has a Bachelor's Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He also participated in the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center.