Written by Peggie (Pratt) Stewart ’73
Before Black Student Unions existed on college campuses, before DEI programs, and before there were dedicated outlets for students of color, Pamela (Wade) Watkins ’77 stepped onto the campus of Kentucky Wesleyan College. Over the next four years, she earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology, minored in psychology, and laid the foundation for an impressive career in government service.
After college, Pam joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was assigned to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. During her 16-year tenure in government service, she worked at the Los Angeles Field Office, the Riverside Resident Agency (RIVRA) in Riverside, California, and the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), a division of the National Security Branch of the FBI in Washington, D.C.
While assigned to RIVRA, Pam pursued further education, earning an Associate of Science degree in Computer Programming. Her commitment to lifelong learning continued when she obtained a Master of Science degree in Information Systems from Strayer University in 2005. Later in her career, Pam transitioned to the Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center in Riverside, California, where she served as a Project Analyst, overseeing and maintaining the operating room database.
Pam retired from Kaiser Permanente in 2018 and now resides in Redlands, Calif., with her husband, Stacey Watkins.
Pam’s strength and confidence are deeply rooted in a family with a rich history of education and military service. Her father, Erskine Wade, Veteran of the U.S. Army (1st Sergeant), studied religion at KWC. Her brother, Michael Wade ’80, majored in accounting at KWC and is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, and her sister, Kathy Wade ’85, majored in elementary education at KWC then went on to receive master’s degrees from Western Kentucky University and California State University.
Truly a family of Black excellence!
#BlackHistoryMonth #TheWesleyanWay