Pamela Strother

Principal & Associations Lead,  Washington, DC Office
pamela@sponsorspecialists.com, 202.486.5990

Pamela Boozer-Strother is an association leader and Principal of Sponsorship Specialists. Her ground-level experience of building and growing association corporate partnership and events programs is a critical asset she brings to Sponsorship Specialists’ clients since 2011. Pamela has developed organizational systems for funding, marketing and implementing conventions and events that attract industry suppliers to the association members researching and buying their services. Current and past clients include, Government Relations Association, SoDA-The Digital Society, State of the Net Conference & Congressional App Challenge, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and TESOL International Association.

In March 2020, Pamela pivoted a large international conference to a virtual platform at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, advancing her skills in virtual and hybrid event models.  She now manages exhibits and sponsorship experiences for large shows in full service platforms, as well as smaller events in the many content platforms serving the meetings and events sector.

Prior to her transition to consulting in 2006, Strother was an association executive with the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) for a decade. She served as the organization’s first Director of Development and took the helm as Executive Director in September 2000. Under her leadership, the corporate partnership program grew to include the nation’s leading news organizations, public relations firms, and major corporations including Bloomberg, IBM, CBS News, CNN, Coca-Cola, 1-800-Flowers, Fleishman-Hillard, Microsoft, General Motors, The New York Times, Toyota Motor Sales, Verizon Wireless, Comcast, American Legacy Foundation and National Public Radio (NPR) among many others.

Pamela served as lead contract negotiator for services and partnerships with the meetings and travel industry, forging relationships with key brands including Marriott, JetBlue, Kimpton Hotels, Harrah’s, MGM Mirage, Amtrak, American Airlines, AVIS, Hilton, Orbitz, and Florida Keys & Key West.

Pamela has managed creative teams in design, copywriting, production, and distribution of print and online collateral. In 2006, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) awarded a first-place ranking in the Gold Circle Awards for NLGJA’s newsletter Outlook.

Pamela is a 26-year member of ASAE and has served in many volunteer leader positions, including the Consultants Section Council, ASAE Ethics Commitee, ASAE Diversity & Inclusion Committee, contributed to the “CEO to CEO” forum for Associations NOW magazine (formerly Association Management) and was a presenter at the 2012 Technology Conference & Expo and 2008 Annual Meeting. In 2005, Pamela earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest certification from ASAE. The previous year, Pamela earned her MBA from American University’s Kogod School of Business.

From 2006-2010, Pamela was a Principal and Chief Operating Officer for realChange Partners, a strategic planning, development planning and leadership development consulting firm. She served as the new business development manager and project manager for more than 40 nonprofit clients that included the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Environmental Grantmakers Association, National LGBT Bar Association, CenterLink, Foundation for Community Association Research and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance.

Pamela is a 30-year fundraising professional having served in staff, Board and volunteer leadership roles for diverse organizations such as congressional PAC’s, House of Ruth, AIDSWALK Washington, Gateway CDC and the Gateway Arts Center. Her experience goes beyond corporate sponsorship programs and includes building diversified fundraising programs that include foundation and government grants, individual and major gifts and membership programs.

A lifelong advocate for equity in public education, Pamela was elected in 2018 as the District 3 Board of Education Member for the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and represents the Board on the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) Ad Hoc Committee on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.