Perfection is impossible, but excellence is achievable. Excellence is doing the very best you know how at this moment, and remaining committed to continuous learning and changing what you do based on what you discover.
– Pam Boulton
When the sad news reached us of the passing of Pam Boulton last week after living a full life, with cancer, far beyond her doctors’ predictions, I knew there would be many who would want to write tributes to Pam for ExchangeEveryDay, and indeed there were more than could possibly be used. Below is just a sampling of the deep affection and admiration Pam elicited in others. I understand because Pam was also a cherished friend and colleague of mine. I will miss her every day, but will do as I promised her, and carry on the work of Exchange with a commitment to the excellence she expected, knowing she’s with us all in spirit, cheering us on.
Nancy Rosenow
A Tribute from Bonnie Neugebauer:
From the beginning of her life to her very last days, Pam Boulton defied odds to live each opportunity as a powerful force for good for all children and their families, for their teachers and their teachers’ teachers. She never faltered in her mission to lead us toward excellence. Pam was instrumental in building integrity and opportunity in the field of Early Care and Education. She was able to see issues in provocative ways and stimulate thinking and actions with her beautiful words and kind guidance and support. I never met a more genuine, positive, optimistic, gritty person. Roger and I were blessed to have her by our side as Exchange magazine was built and as the World Forum was created. Pam believed in the power of the Exchange Leadership Initiative and is responsible for its ongoing impact and she was the voice that sparked the World Forum Working Group on Children’s Rights. I will miss her wit, her voice, her smile, her great brain and her beautiful heart.
A Tribute from Karen Foster-Jorgensen:
We might describe Pam as an incredible teacher, wise leader, visionary in child development, speaker who inspired greatness, or an organized and generous innovator– all are so true. By knowing Pam, we all became better people in too many ways to describe. Pam built us up, supported us, shared new ideas in ways that helped us learn more, accomplish more, be more!
Pam and I shared a very similar experience, which we only came to realize years later. At the same time Pam was designing and leading the Wisconsin early childhood directors’ credential, I was doing the same for Minnesota. We knew of each other but did not know each other until one morning at the World Forum I saw an interesting woman eating breakfast alone and asked if I could join her. We looked at each other’s name tags and a friendship was born immediately. Quickly becoming colleagues and friends, we presented together, wrote articles together, and founded the World Forum Working Group on Joyful Organizations together with cherished colleagues.
Pam was to present with us at World Forum 2026. In my last conversation with her, Pam said “I plan to be with you in Kuala Lumpur, but if for some reason I cannot, please know I will be beside you all, presenting alongside you in spirit.” This feels so prophetic now and gives us strength to dedicate ourselves even more strongly to the work that Pam believed in and the journey she was walking with us. Pam’s joyful spirit leads us forward now, dedicating our work to all she brought to early education and to the world.
A Tribute from Angel Stoddard:
It is difficult to capture in words the impact Pam has had on my life and on the field of early care and education. To me, she was not only a coauthor and mentor but also a dear friend. Pam shaped my evolution as a leader in ways that will ripple forward for the rest of my career. Many of our most meaningful conversations happened late at night, often around a campfire, where she challenged me to see the field of ECE through a wider lens. Her wisdom, generosity, and unwavering belief in my potential helped me grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.
Pam devoted more than 40 years to advancing excellence in early care and education as the Administrator of the UW-Milwaukee Children’s Center. She was a visionary who helped design and deliver ECE leadership courses and professional development programs that continue to shape directors, teachers, and advocates.
At her core, Pam believed “leadership is not only a position, but a way of being—a way of seeing the world.” Pam embodied this truth. She led with vision, passion, and love, and she inspired all of us to do the same.
Her legacy lives on in the leaders she nurtured, the communities she strengthened, and in all of us who had the privilege of calling her a mentor and a friend.
And finally, another dear friend and colleague of Pam’s, Kirsten Haugen, shared a favorite quote from Pam (used above) and a link to a beautiful speech she made at the World Forum on Early Care and Education.
If you never had the privilege of talking with Pam, listen to her own words and you’ll understand why we are, at the same time, grieving and celebrating her extraordinary life.
Shared from ExchangeEveryDay – Celebrating the Extraordinary Life of Pam Boulton: A Force for Good in the Early Childhood Field
