Pam Patterson
Pam, originally from Birmingham, graduated from Briarwood Christian School and the University of Alabama Birmingham. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Alabama with Master’s Degrees in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of Field Services for the K-6 Education Program at the University of South Alabama where she recently was honored with the Excellence in Clinical Supervision Award by the College of Education. In addition, Pam is an educational consultant specializing in Six Traits of Writing and Talents Unlimited, a national model for developing and enriching creative and critical thinking. For twenty-three years, prior to accepting the position of Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women, Pam and her husband, Eric, volunteered in various capacities for Distinguished Young Women. Since retiring twelve years ago from the Mobile County Public School System, she has served as a judge for state programs, a member of the Travel Support Team, and for eight years, as the Chairman of National Finals. In January of 2014, she was named the Interim Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women and then in October she was selected to serve in that position permanently. Pam also volunteers in the Music Ministry at Spring Hill Baptist Church, working with various choral groups and playing handbells and serves on various leadership committees there. She is involved with the Light of the Village, an organization governed by Volunteers of America and has worked to assist in coordinating their annual fundraiser, “A Night in the Light”. As Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women, she has worked with the University of South Alabama to establish a relationship with the Mobile Public School System in which the National Field Director for Distinguished Young Women and she work with students in the high school signature academies and the elementary schools to promote positive life-skills acquisition through a variety of workshops and activities aimed at encouraging students to “Be Your Best Self”, broadening the scope of the national outreach of Distinguished Young Women. She and Eric are the proud parents of two sons, Benjamin and Jonathan, and four grandchildren.