WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
PAM FULK
RETIRED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CAROLINA TIGER RESCUE BY RENEE AMBROSO
60
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
APRIL / MAY 2022
W
henever Pam Fulk had a difficult day at work, she stepped outside her office at Carolina Tiger Rescue
to admire the view of bobcats, tigers and lions lounging in their habitats. “You’re reminded of what’s important, and it turns into a good day,” Pam says. She recently said goodbye to the scenic landscapes, retiring as executive director of the nonprofit wildlife sanctuary on March 1, and handed over the reins to incoming executive director Kris Marino. Pam first joined the rescue on April 1, 2003, as development director and helped transform its physical and fiscal landscape. “I often had people ask me, ‘Why on Earth would you go there?’” she recalls. But Pam saw something in the sanctuary that others couldn’t. At the time, the organization was known as the Carnivore Preservation Trust and was on the verge of bankruptcy while home to 150 big cats. “I could see potential everywhere I looked,” she insists. “What I saw was, we could be free to create [something new].” The hardships facing the organization didn’t hinder Pam’s expansive vision. “I knew we could build a tour; I knew we could build the gift shop,” she says. “There were just so many ways we could grow this organization while focusing on [the] mission.” In nearly two decades at the helm, Pam led efforts to provide high-quality animal care, build a robust educational program and engage in national advocacy work while obtaining accreditation through the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. The rescue’s full-time staff grew to 25, and they formed a small army of volunteers to help host tours and summer camps. The job also solidified a new path for Pam at a time when she needed it. The