She left public schools and became president of a major SC company. Now she's retiring

Pamela Lackey is retiring as president of AT&T South Carolina after more than 20 years with the company. The retirement will be effective Saturday.

“I feel so very blessed to have had the opportunity to be associated with BellSouth and AT&T over the last 20 years,” she said in a statement. “It has been an honor to have been part of the many extraordinary innovations that have occurred during my career. But even more importantly, it has been such a privilege to work with great people who improve the lives of others in many ways every day."

The Alabama native said she would remain in Columbia and continue to be involved in various volunteer activities in the Palmetto State, continuing her service on the several boards of which she is a member and looking for new opportunities for service.

"I moved to South Carolina 38 years ago, and the people are so welcoming and care about the state," she said. "I like Columbia and have lots of friends here that I want to stay connected with."

Lackey served 23 years as an educator before joining BellSouth in 1997. There, she worked as the education market sales manager for the state of South Carolina. In that role, she helped launch one of the first statewide K-12 internet networks in the nation.

In 2001, Lackey was named the company's director of government relations for South Carolina, and six years later, following the merger with AT&T, she was appointed state president. She has been in that position for 11 years.

“Pamela has been a model state president for AT&T, a mentor to so many in the company and in the community, as well as a respected business leader in the Palmetto State,” Bill Leahy, AT&T president of the Southeast region, said in a statement.

In addition to her corporate responsibilities at AT&T, Lackey has served on numerous boards. She is co-chair for the Transform SC Education initiative.

Lackey was the first female chair of the Palmetto Business Forum and the South Carolina Ports Authority and was named 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.

She was honored Thursday by the S.C. Senate for her service.

This story was originally published June 28, 2018 at 2:41 PM.