Alumna Pam Kilday to speak at Leaders for Life program

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Pam Kilday, a former Tennessee Tech standout athlete, has gone on to become a Relationship Executive for Wholesale Enterprise Information Services at SunTrust Bank. She is also the Cheif Information Officer for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Kilday will return to her alma mater Tuesday evening as a featured speaker for a presentation on women in leadership.

Kilday's presentation, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m in Don Ervin Auditorium on the first floor of Johnson Hall. The event is part of the Dr. M. Dianne Murphey Leaders for Life series which features distinguished speakers taking initiatives aimed at improving the experience of the university's student-athletes.

It's a fitting subject for the CIO, who prior to her finance career, Pam was one of the pioneers of the first professional women's basketball league in the United States: the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL).

During her time at Tennessee Tech, Kilday was co-captain of the 1980-81 women's basketball team coached by Marynell Meadors. Kilday graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Tech, and later earned a Master's degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago, Illinois.

In 2006, Murphy announced the establishment of the Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program at Tennessee Tech. The program provides mentoring and networking opportunities for female student-athletes at Tennessee Tech with successful female role models. The Leaders for Life Program features keynote addresses by women in the sports industry and women in leadership positions, as well as social networking opportunities.

"This program targets the common challenges facing women today," said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics. "Tennessee Tech Athletics is excited about promoting the importance of women's athletics and providing outstanding opportunities for leadership development in its female student-athletes.
       
"We're extremely grateful to Dr. Murphy for her support of this program and her commitment to our student-athletes," he said.
       
Murphy is a two-time graduate of Tennessee Tech, earning bachelor's (1972) and master's (1973) degrees in health and physical education. While enrolled at Tech, Murphy was actively involved with the TTU athletics program, as a student-athlete in three sports (basketball, tennis and volleyball) and as a graduate assistant coach (women's basketball). In 2005, she earned the school's distinguished alumni award for her professional achievements.
       
The Leaders for Life program at Tennessee Tech is the second leadership lecture series created by Murphy through charitable gifts. In 2005, she endowed the Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Distinguished Lecture Series in Sports Management at Florida State University. Murphy earned a Ph.D. from Florida State University in 1980.     

"The Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program is providing a permanent legacy to one of the University's most accomplished alumni," Wilson said. "Our female student-athletes benefit tremendously from the Leaders for Life Program.