Our speaker on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 was Pamela Lackey, President of AT&T SC. She is responsible for the company’s regulatory, economic development, legislative and community affairs activities in the state. She works closely with state and community leaders to help bring new technology and jobs to the state and improve the quality of life for all South Carolinians.
Pamela brings a diverse background to her position, having joined AT&T’s predecessor company, BellSouth, in 1997. She initially served in the business marketing group, where she was the company’s primary interface with education and government customers. In that role, Pamela was instrumental in establishing the state’s first broadband network to provide high-speed Internet service to all schools and libraries. She was subsequently promoted to the position of Director-Government Relations, where she worked directly with members of the S.C. General Assembly on public policy matters. She was named to her current position in October 2007.
Prior to her telecommunications career, Pamela was a professional educator. She most recently served as the Senior Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education, where she directed a division with responsibility for technology, curriculum standards, testing and professional development for teachers and administrators. Before being named supervisor of library media programs for the SC. Department of Education, she began her career as a school library media specialist.
Her numerous honors and awards include being named the 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the highest award bestowed by the state’s largest statewide broad-based business and industry trade association, which represents more than 18,000 businesses and more than one million employees.
Pamela is extensively engaged in community and civic affairs through leadership roles with numerous local and state organizations. She is currently a co-chair of the Transform SC education initiative, a Past Chair of the SC State Chamber Of Commerce, a Vice Chair of the S.C. Ports Authority Board, having been appointed by Governor Haley and originally confirmed by the State Senate in 2011. The boards on which she serves include the Business Partnership Foundation at USC’s Moore School of Business, the Palmetto AgriBusiness Council, the Palmetto Business Forum, Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Board, the United Way of the Midlands Board and the International African American Museum Board. Previously, she served four years on the Research Centers of Excellence Review Board, including as Chair.
A native of Meridian, MS, she attended the University of Alabama, where she was awarded a Bachelor’s in Education and a Master of Library Science and an Ed.S in school media supervision. She moved to South Carolina in 1980
In her faith community, Pamela is a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where she serves on the Altar Guild.
Picture credit: Millennium Magazine
