Pamela Thompson
Pamela Thompson lives with her husband, Fairman, in Rose Valley, PA, an arts and crafts community near Swarthmore College. In 1997 she and Fairman moved from Louisville, Kentucky, back home to Philadelphia when she was hired as Director of Communications for the John Templeton Foundation, a family foundation established by money manager Sir John Templeton to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. Before joining the Foundation, Thompson taught statistics at the University of Louisville in the psychology department, where she earned her B.A. in psychology. In 1996, she received her master’s degree in social psychology from the University of Dayton, Dayton Ohio. She was Director of Independent Giving for the Fund for the Arts in Louisville, Kentucky, where she also was principal of two award-winning public relations and advertising agencies. Pam is a Fulbright Specialist and a Senior Fellow at the University of Dayton.
In February 2011, Pamela retired from her position as Vice President for Communications at the John Templeton Foundation, and was immediately hired as a JTF Consultant to write a gift-book chronicling Sir John’s close relationship with HRH Prince Philip’s dedication to presenting the Templeton Prize for 39 years. She was also a member of the Foundation’s 2012 Event Leadership Team charged with producing a week-long celebration of Sir John’s 100th birth year in his home town of Winchester, Tennessee and at Sewanee University.
Pamela serves as a Trustee for the Ausable Club in St. Hubert’s, New York, where she and her husband have a mountain house. She is a member of The Gardeners Garden Club and recently headed the committee for a blue ribbon victory in the Vertical Garden class at the 2014 Philadelphia Flower Show. She is an active member of St. David’s Episcopal Church, the American Psychological Association, and enjoys membership in The Acorn Club, Merion Cricket Club, the Union League Club of Philadelphia, and The Courts.