MPA Alum of the Year Named Newsmaker by Charlotte Business Journal

From Inside UNC Charlotte News and Features:

“UNC Charlotte alumnae Susan DeVore ’81, Tracy Dodson ’97, ’98 and Pamela Wideman ’06 were recently named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s list of 2020 Newsmakers for their roles in leading Charlotte through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond…The Charlotte Business Journal recognized Wideman as a Charlotte newsmaker for her role in advising the Charlotte City Council on maximizing federal CARES Act funding for housing. In addition to her work to keep people housed through the COVID-19 pandemic, Wideman kept affordable-housing development moving. Recently funded projects are expected to add 1,349 new affordable housing units within the City of Charlotte.” — Jennifer Howe

Pamela Wideman (MPA ’06) was named the Gerald G. Fox 2020 Alum of the Year at the annual Student-Alumni Conference.

Pamela currently serves as the Director of the City of Charlotte’s Housing & Neighborhood Services Department. In this role she is responsible for oversight of the City’s Affordable Housing efforts including the Housing Trust Fund, Emergency Repair, Rehabilitation Homelessness and Down Payment Assistance Programs. Additionally, Pam is responsible for the City’s Code Enforcement, Community Engagement divisions, the Office of Equity, Mobility and Immigrant Integration, and the Char-Meck 311 Call Center. Ms. Wideman has more than 25 years of local government experience. She is adept at forging creative solutions to government issues at the local level. Pamela recently received a Leadership in Black Excellence from her alma mater, the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. She was also recently nominated as a Women’s In Leadership Champion by the Charlotte Chapter of the Urban Land Institute. And, she was recognized as one of the top 10 “2017 Behind the Scenes” newsmakers by the Charlotte Business Journal. Ms. Wideman currently serves as a member the International City/County Management Association, the Urban Land Institute, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. Previously, she served on the Board of Directors for the PNC Community Development Bank and as the Vice Chair of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Affordable Housing Committee where she provided guidance and recommendations for policy and funding approaches to support and encourage the development of affordable housing near transit stops. Additionally, she served as a participant with the German Marshall Fund Dialogue for Change Cohort. She is past President of the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association of the Greater Carolinas. Pamela received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from UNC – Charlotte and her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Belmont Abbey College. She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Government – Municipal Administration Program and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, an Executive Education Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School. She is currently participated in the National Forum for Black Public Administrator’s Executive Leadership Institute which is designed to develop future Assistant and City Managers throughout the County. Pamela strongly believes that “service is the rent we pay for living on this earth” and is often asked to share her public sector and community development experiences with students, professional trade organizations and local municipalities.