In this second installment of our interview series spotlighting members of our Board, we spoke with Pamela Scott, who brings a strong background in business, and experience working with nonprofits to her work on Forsyth’s Board. Pamela is a Texas native who graduated from Rice University with a BA in economics followed by an MBA degree from Tuck Business School at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH. She was the first Black woman to graduate from Tuck. She used that experience to embark on a long and successful career in banking and investments.
In 1997, Pamela moved to Boston to join State Street Corporation where she was a Principal, managing investment relationships with public pension fund investors. She also led State Street Global Advisors’ Charitable Asset Management Department serving non-profit organizations.. She subsequently became a Senior Vice President at Schoolhouse Capital, LLC , a State Street affiliate and managed relationships with mutual funds and state treasury offices. During this time, she became familiar with charitable landscape in the Greater Boston area and joined the boards of several local organizations.
In 2003, Pamela left State Street Corporation her own consulting firm, LVCC. Drawing from her vast experience managing large investor relationships, she now helps guide businesses and nonprofits on marketing, strategy, and organizational issues. She graciously agreed to join Forsyth’s Board of Directors in 2019.
Q & A with Pamela Scott
What brought you to Forsyth’s board?
There were several reasons I got involved at Forsyth.
Walter Pressey was on the Board at the time, and he invited me. I knew several other people on the Board.
The work of ForsythKids really resonated with me. I have been involved in organizations that supported youth, so that youth component was attractive to me. I also wanted to expand my knowledge in the healthcare world. What Forsyth is doing is very important. When I joined the board, I didn’t know much about the research side of things. I’m still learning about that. I really enjoy the scientific presentations at Board meetings.
Can you tell us a little about your consulting business and the work you do?
Up until 2003, I worked at various large corporations, insurance companies, banks, investment management businesses. I have dealt with the high-net-worth market and large public pension funds. I ran state Street’s business that services large nonprofits in the educational space like MIT and Wellesley, and other large organizations like American Red Cross and Nature Conservancy.
I stepped out in 2003 and set up my own consulting firm LVCC, shifting my focus to working with nonprofits. I collaborated with some consultant friends to do some strategic planning for a couple of organizations. We also conducted some seminars on board development. I had sat on a lot of boards by then, so I had a lot of experience that I could bring to an organization about how the Board should operate.
You have a history of giving back. What motivates you to help nonprofits and other organizations achieve success?
I have been a part of some very large organizations. I’ve also been involved with organizations in the startup phases. I have seen the small and the large, and I like to say I apply what I learned in the large settings in the business world to the small settings. You don’t know how much you know until you tell somebody else about it. It is gratifying to use my experience to add value to what a small business or organization is doing.
Who/what inspires you?
My mother was my main role model and she helped me understand volunteer work. She taught first grade for 30 years, but she was very active in the teachers’ unions at the local and state level. I saw how she organized; how she put her arms around younger teachers and helped them grow; and how she was good at advocating for teachers. She was also involved in the church and there were opportunities for me there. In high school, I started being directly involved with organizations and leaders. I had good role models within my family and friends to get involved in this work.
I get very passionate about these things. If you asked me about any of the groups that I have been involved in, I can tell their story.
What’s a project you are working on right now? Why is it meaningful to you?
A couple of organizations I am part of now recently approached me with requests to help them integrate more diversity, equity and inclusion into their work and into the organization in terms of their own staffing and processes. I have been an advocate for equality in my field, and for young people coming up in the investment world so, I am very excited to be a part of these important conversations.
In my 30-year career in banking and investments, some organizations were welcoming, and some were not, and I had to make my way. I know what it feels like to deal with some of the issues and obstacles that people face as they are trying to do their jobs and to advance in their careers and make societal change. As you know, I am a black female in America. So, that is the first thing people see about me, and their biases impacted how we interacted. I have had to deal with it every day. And I deal with it in business. Now ’I am helping organizations think about how they can make their worlds more inclusive, and their activities reflect their values better.
Do you feel that over time the business world has become more welcoming? What changes over time have you’ve noticed?
There is measurable change. I meet young women who are generations behind me, and I see opportunities for them that were not available for me. I am excited for that progress. ’I am hopeful that those who come behind them will have even more doors open for them.
Any final thoughts?
I think that my mother would be proud of what I have done in my career. Her spirit is within me, and I am trying to help others who come behind me, to open doors for them. For instance, I try to help women get more involved in volunteer and corporate boards. As I step aside from different organizations, I am encouraging younger women to begin working with them.
It is easy to be focused on the day-to-day. I tell women, “lift your head up from that. Add another dimension to your world by being a volunteer.”
The Forsyth Institute is grateful to Ms. Scott for taking the time speak with us. Please watch this space as we continue our series in future editions of our newsletter.
