Pam Greenwell is passionate about our community and our libraries. She has served as president of the Friends of the Library and continues to serve on its board. She has also served on The Library Foundation Board. She established the Lighthouse Tutoring Program in the Newburg area, organizing and recruiting volunteers for the weekly program. Pam was a 2017 recipient of The Center for Women & Families’ Women of Distinction and a 2019 recipient of the Bell Award for her volunteer contributions to the community. She is a former partner with Seiller Waterman LLC law firm and now is Of Counsel to the firm.
What were your plans for yourself?
I knew I wanted to go to law school. This was a time when girls didn’t do that. There were eight women in my law class at the University of Louisville.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
As an undergraduate, my uncle, who was an attorney, advised me to take an accounting class. Understanding accounting basics helped me in my law career (real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate).
What skill should every woman have?
How to put together a good team.
What have you learned about yourself during COVID-19?
I knew, but have appreciated, the extent to which I am an extrovert.
What books are on your bedside table?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger.
What is your productivity mantra?
Make a list and get it done.
What motivates you now?
I am good at asking people to donate items and making the delivery. I am happy to do that. I love knowing that I have facilitated something bigger than me.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
I’m pretty willing to sample almost anything.
What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought for yourself?
I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately, and because my 50-year-old mixer broke, I bought a chrome KitchenAid mixer.
How do you keep your spirits up?
By not watching the news, making a list and crossing off items, creating a team to gather stuff, and distributing it.
How do you relax?
About 20 years ago I was introduced to Transcendental Meditation, and it stuck. I tried many other forms of meditation, but this is the one that I have been able to keep up with. I also walk five to six miles a day.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Calm down. There is way too much stress, worry, and angst when you’re young.
Any collections?
I have a lot of wonderful art. It’s not necessarily expensive, and many I gathered on our travels. Each piece has a story. I like walking around my house and remembering where or who I was with when I bought certain pieces.
What would you change about Louisville?
I would like to see each of us care as much about everyone else’s neighborhood as much as we care about our own.
BY LUCY M. PRITCHETT | ILLUSTRATION BY DAN KISNER
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