Pamela Simmons: Wise & Courageous

Welcome to The Wise & Courageous Podcast, where we host conversations with women leaders about how they are seeking and engaging wisdom and courage in their leadership and work in this unique season.

“Once you have been to the edge of the cliff, it gives you a heart for others who are feeling like they are barely hanging on.” — Pamela Simmons

Pamela Simmons joins Nancy Pedulla on The Wise and Courageous Podcast for a conversation about her journey to becoming an instructor who is passionate about serving community college students with a heart for each person’s situation and needs.

Professor Pamela Simmons found her calling as an educator while tutoring classmates as an undergraduate. She loves “demystifying” accounting — translating complex ideas into something clear, practical, and even enjoyable lessons for her students. A CPA with both an MBA and a Master’s in Accounting from Kent State University, she taught at Kent State University, Hiram College, Wayne College, and Baldwin Wallace University before finding her home at the student-centered Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). She remains dedicated to helping every student overcome challenges and reach their fullest potential.

How do you find the Lord’s invitations in the midst of the circumstances of your life? Pamela shares her unexpected career journey, from working in the university business office to deciding she wanted to invest her time in teaching others in a student-centered college. She describes her experience as the mom of a disabled child and the way that has deeply impacted her teaching and her values.

Listen for her determination to help a sight impaired student pass a challenging Accounting course. Listen to the end to hear about how prayer infuses her work with students. For the purposes of this podcast, we are defining leadership as the stewardship of people, culture and purpose, guiding and serving others toward a shared vision or outcomes.

Welcome to the conversation!

You can listen on iTunes or at The Women Scholars & Professionals Podcast. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Listen on your favorite podcast platform, or click through to listen to our interview with Pamela on:

• iTunes

• Spotify

• Podbean

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars & Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

Further resources for this interview:

• More articles at The Well by Pamela

• Pamela writes of the “tell me about yourself” assignment

• Pamela has been impacted by our weekly prayer meeting! You can receive updates about this from the weekly newsletter we send out every school year from August through May.

Professor Pamela Simmons earned her CPA while working in internal audit, but her true passion is demystifying accounting and making it accessible to all students. After teaching at Kent State University, Hiram College, Wayne College and Baldwin Wallace University, she found a home at Tri-C, drawn by its student focus and commitment to teaching excellence. As the parent of a daughter with significant health issues and special needs, Simmons has the heart of an advocate and was invited to share some of her journey in "Too Much Reality" You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories by Parents of Children with Disabilities, edited by Stanley D. Klein. She understands overcoming adversity and is a champion for all students, striving to provide the support and encouragement they need to realize their greatest potential. She was honored to receive the distinguished Ralph M. Besse Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018 and seeks to emulate its high standards each day.