Trailblazer Spotlight

Pam Bailey

Executive Director, More Than Our Crimes

Interview Questions

What is a story that you’d like to share related to your experiences and/or the legacy you hope to leave?

I want girls and women everywhere to know that at any stage in life, you can reinvent yourself. I rose high in the corporate ranks, but could not stomach the unethical conduct and requests that I lie. Thus, I became a whistleblower. I then “rebooted” and moved to the Gaza Strip, where I founded a youth storytelling project called We Are Not Numbers. After I was forced to return to the United States, I began applying my storytelling/mentoring skills to both domestic and global nonprofits and founded another organization, More Than Our Crimes, which advocates for second chances for individuals incarcerated in federal prisons. My desired legacy: an example that one person can make a difference.

Who or what inspires you, and why?

People who follow their moral compass, no matter what the risk, like Edward Snowden.