Home / News and Information / May 2006 / BPC Names Pamela Davis New Vice-President for Advancement

Brewton-Parker College Names Pamela Davis New Vice-President for Advancement

Taylor Hereford
BPC Director of Marketing

If you asked different people each to compose a list of what a South Georgia summer means to them, you’d probably get a wide variety of answers.

It’s almost inevitable, however, that if you compared results, everyone would have heat and humidity as their top two answers, but not necessarily in that order.

So when someone with South Georgia roots devotes fifteen years of their professional career working at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, it’s pretty much understood they would experience a sort of “climate shock” upon relocating to Mount Vernon, Georgia.

As expected, while sitting in Pamela Davis’ new office on the campus of Brewton-Parker College, the room temperature sends a chilling reminder that she is still adjusting to the new climate.

“I know I grew up in South Georgia,” Ms. Davis admits humorously, “but I haven’t been able to readjust to the humidity yet.”

In spite of trying to adapt to her new climate, Pamela Davis has quickly become a major asset to Brewton-Parker College as the newly appointed Vice President for Advancement.

Ms. Davis brings an exciting vision to her new position and has set very attainable goals for herself and her team. Before any of that can be fully appreciated, however, one must know a little bit about this sweet, southern lady who has lived in the harsh, dry climate that is “The Last Frontier.”

One of the things you’ll find most important in Ms. Davis’ life is family. She grew up in Jesup with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Emory (Jerrie) Davis, who still reside there and continue to be very active in the community. She has one brother, Jerry Davis, who lives in Valdosta. A graduate of Wayne County High School, Ms. Davis was very active in various clubs and sports, even playing basketball for the Lady Yellow Jackets.

Her love for sports continues to play a vital role in her life today as she enjoys swimming and hitting golf balls on the driving range.

But it all begins and ends with family. The most important part of her life outside of work is being a great aunt to her three great nieces, ages three, four, and six.

“Living in Alaska did not afford me the opportunity to be a vital part of their lives,” says Ms. Davis. “Now that I’ve moved back to Georgia, I have a chance to be a part of all of their special events, which is a thrill for me.”

Ms. Davis’ career experience spans thirty years in fundraising with twenty of those years devoted to public education. As a certified fundraiser, she holds the CFRE designation. Of the 28,000 registered fundraisers across the country, only 5,000 actually are certified as a CFRE. Her most recently held positions were Director of Development at Valdosta State University from 1985 to 1990 and Executive Director of Development at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the last fifteen years.

“Alaska truly is ‘The Last Frontier.’ The people in Fairbanks were wonderful and some of the most well read, well versed, and well cultured people you will ever meet.”

What made her appreciate the people of Fairbanks even more were the old fashioned beliefs and values they exhibited; some of which you’ll still find in the Deep South today.

“In Alaska, a handshake was a contract,” Ms. Davis remembers, “and in a harsh, dry climate like Fairbanks, people would help people. If you had family members flying in for a visit, all you had to do was let your neighbors know and they would be there for you, helping in any way they could so that your family would feel most welcome.”

When Ms. Davis left the University and the people of Fairbanks, she began to wonder, after thirty years of fundraising, if her life and career needed to move in a completely different direction.

“I began to ask myself, ‘Do I want to do something else?’ My original plan was to take a year off, enjoy what life has to offer, and then begin to consider different job opportunities. God made it clear that He had a plan already in place for me and it didn’t include taking extra time off.”

She still didn’t actively pursue job vacancies, only sending her resume’ out to one or two different places.

“I saw the Brewton-Parker position and knew the college was a good, faith-based school. To me, one of the most important traits that a school should have is that it is faith-based.”

When she began to consider Brewton-Parker and how working there would allow her to be close to family again, Ms. Davis knew it could potentially be a very good fit.

“To me, the job was intriguing enough that I would be able to put my experience and abilities to good use and I would be close enough to family.”

In keeping with her views regarding the importance of family, it was her two nephews who gave her the confirmation she needed to return to Georgia.

“I was actively involved in my nephews’ lives when they were young. While I was considering this job, they told me they wanted their girls to know me like they (the nephews) did when they were young.”

After further prayer and consideration, she felt comfortable that Brewton-Parker was where God wanted her to be. On April 10, she walked into her office to begin her first official day of work.

Besides family playing a huge role in the process, there were some additional features about Brewton-Parker and the Toombs-Montgomery County area that really attracted her to the position.

“I love being in a small community. You have many opportunities in which to get involved in a community this size. Being on a small campus, you are able to get to know the students a lot better than you would at a bigger institution. It feels like I am stepping into a great family situation. You don’t really get that on a bigger campus.”

Ms. Davis is quick to give praise to the team already in place in her department and the work they have done while the college was conducting a search to replace Rev. Jay Orr who retired in September 2005.

“I could not have stepped into a better situation than what is already in place here at Brewton-Parker,” explains Ms. Davis. “I have an outstanding team and we are excited about what the future holds for this institution.”

Although still fairly new on campus, Ms. Davis already has set a vision and put goals in place for Brewton-Parker that will only allow the school to succeed for years to come.

“Jay Orr did an excellent job of strengthening the foundation. My goal is to build upon that foundation and take Brewton-Parker to the next level. I hope the person that follows me will continue to aim at taking Brewton-Parker one step higher.”

She also firmly believes that students are the top priority.

“No student that wants to come here should be turned away for a lack of funds. The students are what it’s all about. I love watching them grow and become the leaders God wants them to be as they work to complete their college education. I hope to give back to Brewton-Parker what the students are already giving to me.”

Dr. David R. Smith, president of Brewton-Parker, is excited about Ms. Davis joining the Brewton-Parker family.

”I am delighted to have Pamela Davis as a senior colleague,” said Dr. Smith. “She brings to her new post years of successful experience in higher education philanthropy, a full understanding of the people of South Georgia, and a deep Christian commitment. Those are the attributes necessary to help Brewton-Parker College enjoy an ever more impressive future.”

Ms. Davis says she still gets emotional at graduation when she watches students she has followed over the years receive their diplomas.

“The college should be a huge influence on a student’s life. We should always know that somehow we made a difference.”

-BPC-