Revisiting Pam Pryor, Sarah Palin's "Go-To Girl"

Oklahoman Pam Pryor is the subject of a Tulsa Today article, cross-posted at author Mike McCarville's blog, The McCarville Report:

Pryor's current national persona comes as the spokesperson for Palin's SarahPAC, launched by the former Alaska governor as part of her coalition-building effort across the country.

A member of Palin's team in 2008 says that Pryor today is Palin's "go-to girl. If Sarah has a doubt about anything, she talks to Pam. If Sarah wants to do something, she talks to Pam. Pam is a solid lock in Palin's future."

McCarville's piece quotes Texas for Sarah Palin from a profile of Ms. Pryor we published over six months ago:

"But the governor must has seen a kindred spirit in Pam Pryor, who may not be a fellow Alaskan, but she is a fellow evangelical. The Pryor resume includes more than 25 years in pubic relations and public affairs. She has worked in the area of government relations for non-profit organizations which were formed around the faith and community-based initiative. She has experience bringing faith and community groups together with government through the initiative by grant writing and introductions to government agencies and Congress."

While it's nice to see our work quoted, McCarville didn't get the name of our blog correct -- referring to us as "the Palin Texas website" -- and didn't link back to our original post. (Generous souls that we are, we gave Mike not one, but two links in this post.) Lest anyone be confused by his reference, Texas for Sarah Palin... 

"is not officially connected with, nor does it act as an agent for, former Governor Sarah Palin, SarahPAC or any political party or registered PAC..."

...as we state in our Obligatory Disclaimer. Though it would be nice to be on the Palin payroll, we aren't. This website, and its companion site The Book of Sarah, are both labors of love, as we are painfully reminded every time we check the old bank balance.

Update: Mike McCarville, a true Oklahoma gentleman, emailed us, apologized for what was nothing more than an oversight and corrected it. A tip of the old Stetson to this conscientious neighbor just to the north of Texas. Go Sooners, and gig 'em Aggies!

- JP

Inside Sarah's Circle: 2. Meet Pam Pryor

Second in a series in which TX4P profiles the people close to Gov. Palin. The first installment, a profile of Kristan Cole, trustee of the governor's legal defense fund, is here.

Reading news accounts of Gov. Palin, one name that is often mentioned is that of Pam Pryor. She is a spokesperson for SarahPAC, the governor's political action committee, staying on after Becki Donatelli's Campaign Solutions firm was sent packing. At first glance this may appear to be something of a surprise, since Ms. Pryor has Donatelli ties. Pryor came to SarahPAC from the Republican National Committee, where she served as a senior adviser to Becki's husband, Frank Donatelli, during last year’s general election campaign.

But the governor must has seen a kindred spirit in Pam Pryor, who may not be a fellow Alaskan, but she is a fellow evangelical. The Pryor resume includes more than 25 years in pubic relations and public affairs. She has worked in the area of government relations for non-profit organizations which were formed around the faith and community-based initiative. She has experience bringing faith and community groups together with government through the initiative by grant writing and introductions to government agencies and Congress.

Ms. Pryor began her career as a college instructor at Point Loma College in San Diego and then at Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma City. Her background in media includes working as a TV news reporter and anchor in Oklahoma and hosting her own radio talk show.

After moving to DC, Ms. Pryor worked as a consultant for clients ranging from Convoy of Hope to the Department of Labor (through the White House Writer’s Group) to Habitat for Humanity. She has also served on the board of the Reform Institute.

In 1995, she joined the staff of Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, serving first as his press secretary and later as his chief of staff for both his personal office and the House Republican Conference. In 2001, she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine. Ms. Pryor holds bachelors and masters degrees in communications from Southern Nazarene University and did post-graduate work at the University of Oklahoma.

A 2006 interview of Ms. Pryor for the PBS series "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" is here.

- JP