Dr. Pam Hudson Receives the Christine Ray Richard Outstanding Service Award
The Christine Ray Richard Outstanding Service Award is given annually in honor of Christine Richard for her lifetime of devotion to Randolph School. The honoree is not an alumnus or student, but someone who, like Christine, spent 15 or more years in service of Randolph School. The 2020 recipient is Dr. Pam Hudson.
Pictured left to right: Marshall Schreeder ’96, Board Chair; Deb Smith, Lead School Nurse; Dr. Pam Hudson; Adam Dubé, Head of School
A Board-certified family practitioner, Dr. Hudson has served as Chief Executive Officer of Crestwood Medical Center since 2007, having previously served as Crestwood’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Emergency Medicine. She was the first physician named as CEO of a hospital in North Alabama.
Dr. Hudson’s leadership in the Tennessee Valley extends far beyond the hospital, and she is a true servant of our community, having served on Boards including the Chamber of Commerce, University of Alabama Huntsville Foundation, ALS Alabama Chapter, National Children’s Advocacy Center, Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and the John Stallworth Scholarship Foundation. Pam’s additional community involvement includes the Business Council of Alabama, Leadership Huntsville Madison County, Leadership Alabama, Women’s Economic Development Council and Huntsville Community Chorus.
A "lifer" in her own right, Hudson has offered wise advice and counsel throughout the years at Randolph.
At Randolph, Dr. Hudson is a “lifer” in her own right, having joined this community when her daughter, Fran, began her Randolph journey as a kindergarten student in 2005. Pam’s younger daughter, Emma, followed close behind, and is now a senior in the Class of 2021. Throughout the 15 years that Fran and Emma have been Randolph students, Dr. Hudson has been a strong supporter of the School. Despite her very busy schedule, she has always made it a priority to support the girls and their classmates at soccer games, dance competitions, musical concerts, and cross country meets. She has offered wise advice and counsel throughout their years at Randolph, sharing with faculty, staff, parents, and other constituents.
Dr. Hudson and Leila Nabors attend the outdoor signing ceremony on the Garth Commons Lawn for their daughter, Emma Hudson '21, who will play soccer at the University of Indianapolis.
Dr. Hudson has been a strong supporter of our school nursing staff, offering encouragement, sharing information, and empowering them to manage the challenges that arise every day.
Dr. Hudson joined the Randolph Board of Trustees in 2017 and has generously given of her time, wisdom, and expertise in that capacity. She has been a leader on our Finance Committee, drawing from her vast experience as a CEO and Board leader in so many organizations. Dr. Hudson has asked great questions, challenged us to think in new ways, and offered strong financial leadership to ensure that we are able to support faculty and students in a way that is mission-driven, cost conscious and supports the long term sustainability of the School and the students we serve.
This year has been a challenging one for us all. It would have been understandable for the CEO of a hospital to pull back from other community commitments while dealing with all that she has to manage during a pandemic that has extended now for 10-months and continues, with more significant challenges daily. But from the beginning, Dr. Hudson has remained a faithful servant to the School and certainly to the wider community. As we first brought students back on campus this summer for athletic practices, and continuing today with the complexities associated with our decision making around school operations, Dr. Hudson has gone above and beyond in her willingness to answer questions and share information regarding public health conditions. There are many of us who have her on speed dial, and she has always been willing to take our calls or answer our texts or emails. In particular, she has been a strong supporter of our school nursing staff, offering encouragement, sharing information, and empowering them to manage the challenges that arise every day in dealing with contact tracing, parent, student and faculty questions, and other unpredictable issues that arise. A consistent, calm and thoughtful teacher, Dr. Hudson has encouraged and supported our own medical professionals as they lead us with care, empathy and skill.
Her continued focus on the bigger picture and the things that matter in the long term will benefit students, faculty, and the overall Randolph experience for years to come.
Dr. Hudson is pictured here with her family, l to r, Fran Hudson '18, Leila Nabors, and Emma Hudson '21, at the award presentation.
Randolph has made a renewed commitment this year to strengthening a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. When the Board of Trustees formed a committee to work on these efforts this year, Dr. Hudson was one of the first to volunteer to be part of that work. Her continued focus on the bigger picture and the things that matter in the long term will benefit students, faculty, and the overall Randolph experience for years to come.
It is a great privilege to honor Dr. Pam Hudson with this year’s Christine Ray Richard Outstanding Service Award. We thank her family members, Leila, Fran and Emma, for their own sacrifice and support of Randolph and the wider Huntsville community. We are grateful to each of you and are fortunate to have you as members of the Randolph family.