According to the Girls' Bill of Rights adopted by Girls Inc., girls have the right to be themselves and resist gender stereotypes, to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm, to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success. So it's easy to see why Pam Scott treasures her role as board president of the Girls Inc. affiliate in Lynn, Massachusetts. In fact, it seems that she has lived her life with that bill of rights as a guide.
As a young person, Scott was profoundly influenced by her mother, an elementary school teacher active in teachers' professional organizations. "I learned about leadership at my mother's feet," she says, "as she worked to change the world around her. I also got a worldliness from her I wouldn't have otherwise. Every time I see my company name—a composite of my parents' initials—I see my mother's face. She handed the baton to me, and I ran faster."
Scott arrived at Tuck after Rice University without having visited the campus to discover that she was poised to become the first black woman to graduate from the school. Although unexpected, it's a distinction she wears proudly. "I expected it to be a turning point, which is why I made the decision to go for an MBA rather than staying home and doing a fifth year in accounting."
She came to Tuck for a broad business education and focused on financial services, which was already her interest. "Tuck lived up to my expectations and put me into a different mindset," she says. After Investiture, she accepted an offer from Citibank. "It was certainly the best deal," she recalls. "But I remember asking myself 'New York? Why not? I'll take that risk and go to the big city and learn.' It was a risk but also a good decision."
A second risk that turned out well was starting her own management consulting business in 2003, leaving State Street Corporation as senior vice president. She admits that running LVCC, Inc., has been a change that has taken some getting used to, but now that she's moved out on her own, there's no going back. "The freedom, the flexibility, the new avenues that I can pursue—all are exciting and have enriched my life over the past three years. I see opportunities that I wouldn't have even acknowledged before."
Those opportunities include a greater level of networking with other female business owners and serving on corporate and nonprofit boards. In 2006, she was elected to the board of Beverly National Corporation, the holding company for Beverly National Bank, which has served North Shore Massachusetts communities since 1802. She now recognizes board membership as the next frontier in her personal and professional development. "These concentric circles that I'm building are getting bigger and wider. This is the time of life to take advantage of and strategically expand my business experience and the associations I've made." Scott also serves on Tuck's board of overseers and finds that it informs her work with other nonprofits such as Girls Inc., United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and other organizations.
"Having a seat at the table and my voice heard helps me feel that I'm contributing to a continuation of opportunity for a lot of people. I know how valuable my Tuck experience was, and I want it to be valuable for others. This is one risk that has paid off in many ways."
