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THE LAKER CONNECTION
alumni profile
PAM DAVIS
SUCCESSFUL IN SO MANY WAYS
The first thing one notices entering Pam Davis’ office is her MBA diploma. Pam is understandably proud of the Clayton State University parchment. After all, she travelled around the globe and then secured her daughter’s future, before beginning her pursuit of the document that proudly hangs on her wall today.
Pam has seen much of the world – the glam- orous and several of the not-so-glamorous spots – while supporting her husband’s ascent to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the United States Army. During that journey, she also championed her daughter’s escalat- ing swimming talents. When Katelyn Davis earned a scholarship to her mother’s undergraduate alma mater, the University of Alabama, Pam once again cheered, “Roll Tide!”
Only then, after many of her family responsi- bilities were, “moving down the path we had hoped for,” did Pam decide, “it was my turn. So in my 40’s, I went back to Clayton State to earn my MBA.”
In 2009, Pam received her degree from Clay- ton State’s newly-created MBA program. With de- termination, and hours of study, she had successfully balanced the work-school-family dynamic that is the trademark of so many successful Clayton State grad- uates.
“I had a tremendous support system; the Clay- ton State professors were always eager to help, and I became very close to many of my classmates who were experiencing the same challenges,” Pam re- cently explained.
Now a 12-year veteran of Delta Community Credit Union, Pam serves as the vice president of re- tail lending and deputy chief lending officer. The an- nouncement touting Pam’s latest promotion within the organization states, “She has helped grow the Credit Union’s real estate loan portfolio from $668 million in 2002 to $1.3 billion today.”
Pam proudly reports that she, “would have never been able to apply for my present post without the MBA I earned at Clayton State.”
Pam remembers how many of the students in that first Clayton State MBA group would gather to study together before class.
“We became very close. The result was worth all the hard work... but there were some days where the challenges seemed daunting. Bonding with oth- ers who were experiencing the same concerns was very helpful to me,” Pam commented.
Drawing special note from Pam was Dr. Gary May’s Business Communication course. In a local publication highlighting four graduates of Clayton State’s first MBA class, Pam called May’s guidance, “priceless,” and noted his, “instruction that made me much more strategic in my communication through- out my professional life.”
May, a veteran faculty member of the College of Business at Clayton State, beams when he talks of Pam and her first MBA cohorts and reports he en- joys tracking their careers.
“When Pam Davis enrolled in the MBA pro- gram, she was already successful in so many ways; yet she knew our program would be instrumental in reaching the future goals that she outlined for her- self,” May recalls. “That first group of MBA students was very close, and Pam deserves credit for serving as an inspirational mentor – as well as a classmate - to many of the other students.”
Around the globe with her husband, to Tuscaloosa with her daughter and finally to the doorstep of Clayton State University ... Pam Davis’ pathway to her MBA degree will never be described as direct. However, based on her professional posi- tion and the office where her degree is displayed ... by any definition, Pam’s route has to be labeled suc- cessful.
_ Tom Giffin
I had a tremendous support system; the Clayton State professors were always eager to help, and I became very close to many of my classmates
who were experiencing the same challenges.