We have received hundreds of stories and memories about Mom/Pamela/Grandma since her passing on August 12th. I want to extend sincere thanks to all of you. You have been so generous with your memories and accounts of my mom and the ways she inspired you and touched your lives. We are heartbroken and devastated that one whose work and life meant so much to so many has been taken far too soon. But we find solace in knowing that her work and her passion for creating change in a world she dearly loved, will live on in so many strong and determined people. Thank you for your support and for doing what you do, every day. It is through your actions and continued commitments, her legacy will flourish and grow.

All of our love,
Emilie, Martin, Jesse and all of our nearest and dearest who are so missing her right now.

I am devastated by the news that my dear mentor and one of my biggest champions has passed on. I met Pamela in 2004 when she served as the managing director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. We worked together to launch the Trendsetters Social Entrepreneurs Programme in Nigeria. She immediately took me under her wing and became my friend and mentor. Before every major career decision, I reached out to Pamela and she provided advice and support. She asked me to join the advisory group for Volans in its early years and I invited her to join Sahel Capital's Advisory Board at our inception. She dragged me to Oxford twice, both for the Skoll Forum and the MBA students conference. Last year, she nominated me for the Royal DSM Sustainability Advisory Board. On a monthly basis, she referred her students to me - anyone and everyone who was interested in Africa or agriculture. She took the time to mentor thousands of young achievers!

Pamela was the first person that I reached out to when I decided to write my recent book "Social Innovation in Africa: A practical guide for scaling impact." She provided incredible guidance and support through the entire process. She referred social innovators that I should interview for the book, reviewed early drafts and provided critical feedback!

When she broke the news about her battle with cancer, she did it so casually, and told me that everyone was worried, but that she was not! She never skipped a beat...

In typical Pamela style - I reached out to her last year on Thanksgiving day to tell her how much she meant to me and how thankful I was for her role in my life and her response was simply - "I hate Thanksgiving day!" She always deflected honor and praise from herself, and instead pushed others into the spotlight!

I was looking forward to see her at the DSM meeting on September 7th and to speaking at her class at the Columbia Business School on September 20th. We were sharing emails about these activities until mid-July.

What an amazing soul! She gave so much of herself to the world and lived every day to the fullest! A huge advocate for Africa, Social Entrepreneurs, Youth and Women!

I will miss this wonderful friend and mentor! I thank God for blessing me with a "destiny-helper!" She was simply an angel that God sent into my life to push me to do more, challenge, question and push boundaries!

In her memory, I have committed to instituting the annual "Pamela Hartigan Prize for Social Innovation in Nigeria" which will honor a social innovator who like Pamela pushes boundaries. This individual will be honored at LEAP Africa's annual CEOs Forum and will receive funding and training.

I am committed to working with her family and dear friends to keep her memory alive! Her great work will continue to yield fruit for generations!

RIP Pamela!

God bless you all!

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli

Querida Pamela: cómo olvidar tu fuerza inspiradora, tu sonrisa y tu generosidad. Un gran ejemplo de mujer y profesional. Descansa en paz.

Our reflections about Pamela from the Skoll Centre are up on our blog here: http://skollcentreblog.org/2016/08/12/in/.../amela-hartigan/

It's so hard to imagine our work and the Centre without her. Her energy was unstoppable, her rolodex (yes, she did still have a rotating card holder!) unmatched, and her ability to connect people to achieve great things will be forever missed.

My life has certainly been shaped by Pamela - everything from my fellow Skoll Scholar husband and the Skoll-inspired baby in my belly to many aspects of the way I view the world.

I know she would want us to dry the tears and get on with trying to fix some global problems. I think there will certainly be more tears for a bit, but I know so many people who will work to honour her in their lives by continuing to do work they care about, inspired by her lead. I will of course try to do the same, though it will be hard without the world's best connector, barrier breaker, and champion pushing you on. Pamela, are so missed.

Dear Pamela, I meet you first time at WEF. You were the coolest woman I had ever meet. And all though you seemed so very much out of our league, you stepped in, helped engaged and continued to do so over the years. You were a truely amazing person that I am honored to have worked with. A thousand thanks and good passing to you! Love Kigge

What an extraordinary force for change in the world Pamela was. Such a powerful woman whose work and life was nothing less than game changing.