It is with a heavy heart that I share my condolences with Pamela’s family and friends. Pamela was an inspirational leader in the community of social entrepreneurship. She changed the way we think about creating good on a global scale. Her work with the Skoll Centre was unparalleled, leading us by example to address the world’s most pressing problems. Her knowledge informed, her heart embraced, her spirit motivated. Her loss is deeply felt, and her legacy will shape our world for generations to come.

I remember reading The Power of Unreasonable People before coming to Oxford, in awe that I was going to have the opportunity to learn and get to know this titan of our sector. I had dinner with a few MBAs last week and we reflected on Pamela and her impact. Its incredible, that one person, could have the type of impact she did, on so many other people. And I guess that is the point, or one of the points, she was trying to make: every person has the potential to drive really large scale change. Pamela was a fearless leader, thoughtful teacher, boundless energizer, and creative connector. Above all else, she deeply gave of herself to her students and colleagues. I remember stealing 15-20 minutes of her time every month or so to speak about my passions, and each conversation left me in awe in two ways: 1. her ability to be present, to make you the focus of her attention and 2. her ability to connect you to relevant leaders in the respective area discussed, almost immediately.

I had the good fortune of meeting Pamela on 4 occasions. The first we discovered we were both Virginia borne-gals; the second was on a badly oversold flight back to the US; the third was at a satellite meeting for the Skoll World Forum; and then yet another airport in Europe 2 years ago. What a life she had, what a joy to have known her, however briefly. May her legacy live on among all the students she trained and mentored.