National Trust For Historic Preservation Director, Cheryl Bailes, Recognizes Pam Lewis As A Lead Preservationist
The National Trust for Historic Preservation Director of Leadership, Cheryl Bailes, welcomes Pamela Lewis, FRSA to their President’s Circle. Lewis’ support is helping to advance the Trust’s work in “connecting Americans through cultural heritage.”
Lewis has been a steadfast preservationist since childhood in New York inspired by her parents to save state revolutionary and Native American history. Later in life, Lewis purchased, saved, and restored multiple buildings on Music Row, East Nashville, and Franklin TN. She has also raised money for historical preservation causes from the Tennessee Preservation Trust, African American Heritage Association, Heritage Foundation, Save Music Row Initiative, Nashville City Cemetery, Belmont Mansion, Colonial Williamsburg, Tennessee State Museum, Battle of Franklin Trust, and the American Battlefield Trust.
“I have traveled extensively and experienced thousands of years of history. We are such a relatively young country compared to the rest of the world. It is incumbent upon every American to save, interpret, and preserve our shared history and historic resources for future generations,” says Lewis.
To learn more or make a donation, visit savingplaces.org.
Pam Lewis, President and CEO of PLA Media, was also recently awarded a fellowship in the Royal Society of Arts based in the United Kingdom. Since its inception in 1754, the prestigious society has bestowed honor to 30,000 individuals worldwide for “outstanding achievements and social changes and development.” Along with her entrepreneurship and business success, RSA judges chose Lewis for her decades of charity work, social activism, and generous philanthropy. Pam Lewis’s induction onto the RSA saw her becoming a fellow alongside the likes of an elite group of leaders. Among the fellows listed are Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr., Judi Dench, David Attenborough, Prince Charles, Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, Anne Frank, and Marie Curie. As a fellow she is titled to include FRSA after her name.
Lewis is currently involved in a global mental health and music initiative, The Road to Nashville with Liverpool, UK City Council and Nashville, Tennessee City Council through The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF), a global non-profit organization. The project is saving hundreds of musicians with mental health issues and fighting the stigma of mental illness.
About Pam Lewis
Pamela Lewis, a native of upstate New York, is an entrepreneur, preservationist, philanthropist and author. A graduate of Wells College with a B.A. in Economics/Marketing and a minor in French and Communications. Lewis spent a year in Paris studying at COUP (Center of Overseas Undergraduate Program) affiliated with The Sorbonne University. In New York City, she did additional graduate course work at Fordham University, The New York School for Social Research, The Publicity Club of New York and Scarritt Bennett. Lewis is also a graduate of University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service Local Government Leadership Program (third level), of the Belmont University College of Business Administration’s Scarlett Leadership Institute Mini Executive MBA program, of Leadership Music, of the Citizen’s Police Academy and of the Leadership Middle Tennessee 2020 program.
From 1980 to 1984, Lewis was part of the original publicity/marketing team of WASEC (Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment Company), a joint venture of Warner Communications and American Express, that launched MTV to the world. She also worked with MTV’s sister cable channels Nickelodeon, The Movie Channel, and the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E). Lewis was relocated to Nashville from New York City to accept the position of National Media Director at RCA Records helping to shape the careers of top country stars such as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, The Judds, and Alabama.
In 1985, Lewis opened her own PR firm, Pam Lewis and Associates (which later became PLA Media). In 1987, she formed award-winning Doyle/Lewis Management with partner Bob Doyle. The first client Lewis agreed to represent was an unknown Oklahoma crooner named Garth Brooks, who she worked with until 1994. Lewis also managed Trisha Yearwood‘s early career, landing her a record deal at MCA Records. Under Lewis’ guidance, Yearwood released her debut self-titled album in 1991, becoming the first female country musician to sell one million records off her first single “She’s In Love With The Boy.” The album went on to be certified double platinum, and Yearwood went on to win the Academy of Country Music award for Top Female Vocalist later that year. The two enjoyed a successful partnership which broke new ground in music winning all of the following: Performance Magazine’s “Country Music Managers of the Year” two consecutive years ’92 and ’93, Pollstar Award “Personal Manager of the Year ’92, Country Music Association’s “Artist Manager of the Year”, SRO Award ’01 (The first female executive to win this award), Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 listing in ’95 & ’96, Who’s Who in Executives, International Society of Poets Distinguished Member, Franklin Police Department Order of Excellence ’15 & Tennessee Association of Museums Award in recognition of superlative achievement for publications PR kit. Eventually, Doyle and Lewis parted ways, and Pam turned her focus solely to PLA Media.
In 2003, Lewis made her first foray into the world of politics running for office of alderman-at-large in Franklin, Tennessee. She won a four-year term, and was the only female on the board for two years. She also served as Vice Mayor for one year, and was elected to the Franklin Planning Commission and Historic Zoning Commission. In 2016, she was voted as a one of the top Female Entrepreneur by Your Williamson Magazine, and was invited to be part of the 2017-2018 class of Leadership Franklin.
Lewis has served on or chaired multiple committees, including: The Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte’s You Have The Power, BRIDGES Domestic Violence Center, Sister Cities of Franklin, Battlefield Commission, mayor-appointed Franklin Housing Commission, Nashville Historic Commission, Historic Cemetery Commission, ARC Board and the Tennessee Preservation Trust.
Her other community outreach efforts include historic preservation and green space causes, women and children’s advocacy, educational scholarships, fair housing and environmental and animal rights protection. Since its inception, the Pam Lewis Foundation has given away a million dollars to numerous charities.
She has been recognized for her business success/entrepreneurship, community outreach and preservation efforts by the Metro Nashville Historic Commission, Franklin Tennessee Heritage Foundation, African American Heritage Foundation, Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee Preservation Trust. In 2017, she produced a documentary of African American remembrances and contributions and was honored to give the commencement address at her alma mater Wells College, Aurora, New York in May 2017. She is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee.