Alumni profile: Pamela Gentry '77

When Nelson Mandela came to the U.S. in 1990 for his first-ever tour, Pamela Gentry '77, crossed the country with him on several of his historic stops. As a political analyst, she regularly mingles with members of Congress, attends national political conventions, has covered numerous presidential campaigns and has interviewed first ladies.

"The greatest thing about my career is the access I have to elected officials, including members of Congress and the presidents. I have photos of myself with at least five first ladies," says Gentry. "One of the most memorable was spending three days with Lady Bird Johnson for a special I was producing on presidents' wives. She was in her 80s and was witty and so incredibly amazing."

Gentry didn't set out to become a political analyst in Washington, D.C. Rather, her career evolved from a series of circumstances combined with her passion for hard work and a willingness to try jobs that didn't necessarily pay well.

"A liberal arts education gives you the foundation to do a lot of things," says Gentry. "I used it with my innate curiosity about politics; I was always interested in reading and writing, and my social awareness has always been a part of me."

Gentry graduated from Mercy College of Detroit with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama and a minor in English. She later took classes in Secondary Education and taught in the Detroit Public Schools as a substitute teacher for four years. Her husband's career relocated her to Knoxville, Tenn., where she embarked on a career change.

Her love for writing led her to reporter positions at a radio station and at the Knoxville Journal. Ironically, she impressed a TV news director at the local station when she interviewed him for an article on news media. He offered her a job as an assignment editor and reporter. Another career move for her husband sent the family to Baltimore. Gentry put her reporting experience to the test and pursued work with networks in Baltimore and D.C.

"I landed a job at the number one CBS station at the time, WDVM (now WUSA-TV-Channel 9), and the rest is history," says Gentry.

In between jobs TV reporting and field producing for CBS and C-SPAN, Gentry worked five years for the Clinton Administration as the spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2002, she opened the Washington Bureau for BET Nightly News. She is a member of the White House Correspondence Association and regularly attends press briefings at the White House. Gentry created the first political blog on BET.com. The information she receives at the briefings and on Capitol Hill go into discussions about politics and policies through her national online blog at BET.com, Pamela on Politics. Her contribution to the Washington political machine for reporting has not gone unnoticed. The May 2009 issue of Ebony magazine recognizes Gentry as one of the "EBONY Power 150" for her influential position in the White House Press Corps.

"I start a typical day reading newspapers online to bring myself up to date. I review the White House schedule to see if I want to go over for an afternoon briefing," says Gentry. "I find my blog topics by asking myself: 'Why should I care about this topic, and why will my readers care?' Then I start to write."

Gentry has worked in D.C. for almost 25 years. She has two grown children and looks forward to the day she can tell her grandchildren about interviewing President Barack Obama and covering his presidential campaign and inauguration. She also will likely tell her grandchildren about one of her other proudest accomplishments; how she organized and managed the yearbook committee at her children's elementary school for four years, despite working long hours as a field producer. She will undoubtedly share her secrets for success and how their grandfather's unconditional support played a big role in her success. And Gentry will also most likely share her wisdom with her grandchildren, that—like their grandmother—they need to try things in order to succeed.

"I never thought I couldn't do a job. I told myself to at least try it," says Gentry. "If you are committed to a job, things will work out."

For this UDM graduate, things, and much more, definitely worked out, because she never stopped trying.