Charles J. Patterson was a former member of the Peace Corps and executive director of the Oakland Convention Center, who was involved in both governmental and nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area. A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a graduate of Antioch College, Patterson moved to California in 1957 and began his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He then went on to work with the Peace Corps and the Oakland-based airline World Airways, where he was in charge of affirmative action and manpower development for the company. Beginning in the 1970s, he sat on the boards of the East Bay Community Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums, and other organizations, advocating for diversity and charitable action. In this interview, Patterson discusses his childhood and education in the Midwest, race and diversity, civic leadership in the Bay, and his reflections on the San Francisco Foundation Buck Trust. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting the history of Bay Area philanthropy.