Pam FitzGerald has been a resident of Ottawa for close to 30 years and has been a volunteer in Ottawa schools and the community for many years. She believes in ensuring that all children have better opportunities. Pam has an academic background in chemistry and public health and more recently she has undertaken studies in management accounting, education advocacy, and she has completed the Leadership Ottawa program.

Pam served as the National Co-ordinator of the Canadian Health Coalition. As the Executive Co-ordinator of the Midwifery Group of Ottawa, she helped establish and then manage the first legally-recognized practice of midwives in the Ottawa area. Pam has served on the boards of two community health centres and a daycare, was the chair of a community housing project and the chair of Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC), the largest association of school councils in Ontario

For over ten years, Pam has been a tireless advocate for parents. She has served on special education placement hearings and organized countless educational sessions for parents. Pam regularly writes articles and newsletters addressing parental and student needs. She served on school committees addressing student needs in the areas of bullying, special education rights, and health. In 2005, Pam was nominated for the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction award.

Elected as a school trustee for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in November 2006, Pam serves on its Human Resources Committee, Trades and Technology Committee, and the Children and Youth at-Risk Advisory Committee. She is the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Board Evaluation Process and the Director Performance Evaluation Process.

Pam sits on the board and was a volunteer tutor with the Pathways to Education project in Ottawa, a community initiative that provides financial, academic and social support to needy secondary school students. In 2009, she received the Community Service Award from the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre in recognition of her work. Pam is passionate that we must find better ways to guarantee that all children have a good education and can play a productive role in life.