MEET ONE OF THE 2025 LEADERSHIP TRAILBLAZER: Pam Davis

Today’s Trailblazer: Pam Davis

The League caught up with Trailblazer Finalist, Pam Davis, Assistant City Manager, Boulder, Colorado to talk about being named a Leadership Trailblazer and having a career in public service:

Q: Congratulations on being named a finalist for the Leadership Trailblazer Award. What does it mean to you to be nominated? 

Thank you to the League and my nominators for the tremendous honor. This is a pinch-me, full-circle career moment to be named as a finalist. I feel grateful not only as a local government leader and woman, but also as a queer person. The intersections of our identities and experiences shape how we lead, and I am thrilled to embody all parts of my own identity proudly in a profession that has not always valued our worth. When I first entered this profession as a student, I found inspiration and inclusion in the spaces that those before me created to advance women. To now, almost 15 years later, be recognized for my own trailblazing is profoundly meaningful. I believe it is my responsibility to lift others as I grow, and to be considered for this award reflects that mission.

Q: What led you to a career in public service?

Growing up as a gay teenager in Scottsdale, Arizona, I discovered early in life that I had to advocate for myself while navigating an environment that was not designed to support me. I learned that influencing change at a systemic and structural level could not only improve my life but have a lasting impact for those like me who needed it. I also learned that policy is only as good as its implementation, and I wanted to spend my career making sure promises turned into results. After undergraduate experiences focused on federal government including a congressional internship in D.C., my attention shifted to the day-to-day life saving magic of local government programs and services. My fundamental “why” has not changed throughout my career—I still do what I do to ensure that our world becomes a more inclusive, safe, and equitable place.

When I first learned about city management, I believed I stumbled upon the most perfect job there is, and I still believe that today. I am a generalist at heart and love the opportunity to work across disciplines and have a constantly changing work portfolio. I like dealing with global and systemic issues on a local scale because we can experiment and iterate quickly. I also appreciate the public sector’s mandate for openness and transparency—it means we get to happily steal great ideas from each other. Our professional community of public administrators motivates me. My colleagues in city management prove to me every day that our communities are supported by talented and committed rockstars.

Local government establishes the operating system for people’s lives, and I love supporting communities to be equitable, sustainable, and resilient. I have the privilege to do what I do in the perfect time and place for me- a time when local government is reimagining what we do and how we do it, and in Boulder, where risks and bold ideas are welcome.

Q: Who were your mentor(s) or advocate(s) in your career?

I could write an entire book to answer this question. Undeniably, it has taken a village to support my career since I was a student. My mentors and advocates have been fundamental to my success. At the risk of unintentionally leaving someone off this list, scroll credits:

From the women of Arizona local government who took me in as a young pup and modeled what was possible for my career: Mary Jacobs, Susan Thorpe, Gina Montes, Nicole Lance, Kari Kent, Gayle Mabery, Edith Baltierrez, Natalie Lewis, and Evie Racette.

To the nationwide network of innovative heroes who have become my friends: Shannon Flanagan-Watson, Peggy Merris, Reina Schwartz, Betsy Fretwell, Katy Simon Holland, Tanya Ange, Mike Sable, Paul Arevolo, Pat Martel and of course my fellow Pams: Pam Antil and Pam Muse.

And to those who guide and support me today: My CivicPRIDE co-founders and board colleagues including Taylor Reiman, Logan Masenthin, Tony Winney, Nate Basset, Erris Dunston, Justyn Miller, Sarah Hancock, and Phil Smith-Hanes; and my Colorado work family including the City of Boulder team, led by our city manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde and attorney Teresa Taylor Tate, and nearby neighbors Melissa Wiley, Kelly Houghteling, Carly Lorentz, Alisha Janes, and many more.

Q: What is the most important lesson you learned while progressing throughout your career?

The full breadth of who I am is an asset to my leadership. I am most successful when I bring my whole human self to the table.

Q: What advice do you have for women just beginning their careers who would like to be an executive in local government someday?

Dream big. Always have a goal in mind but stay open to opportunities you had not imagined and be willing to change your pathway to get there.

Impact and experience are much more important measures of a successful career than position title.

Be the same person at work and outside of it. Carry who you are on your sleeve and stay authentic. It is not only okay to be a human and a public servant at the same time, but it will also make you more effective in the long run. Public service is a profession based on relationships, and your relationships will be infinitely stronger when you approach them with honesty and integrity. If you can’t safely be yourself, go to where you can be.

Q: What do you hope to leave as your legacy in local government when your career comes to an end?

I have no doubt that this answer will evolve as I am not yet even halfway through my career, but at this point, I hope my legacy includes:

Making the local government management profession more inclusive and valuing of LGBTQIA+ professionals. Co-founding and leading CivicPRIDE for the past decade while actively seeking opportunities to connect with and mentor queer students of public administration and young professionals has been a top highlight of my professional journey.

Bringing heart and joy into local government. Whether it was writing poetry to help Boulder heal after a mass shooting, rapping about our community court program at a national event, or the countless hours spent connecting directly with community members at every place I have worked in order to bring a face of empathy and compassion to those who need us, I believe we have endless possibilities to uphold our mission to serve while also allowing for the emotional experience of it all.