Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Financial Services Specialist Pam Landrum.Change has been a constant in the years that Pam Landrum has worked in state service.
She started in 1990 as an administrative assistant with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. After nine years, she went to the Office of the Attorney General where she tracked legislation and worked in procurement.
In 2007, she came to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as an administrative assistant in the director’s office. Today, as a member of DCR’s finance division, she’s responsible for a variety of functions, including processing all of the agency’s travel vouchers (thousands of vouchers are processed in a year).
The prospect of learning a new task or joining a new team may be daunting to some, but not for Landrum. Growing up in a military family, she learned early to embrace change.
“We had to adapt and adapt quickly,” she said.
Landrum, whose father was in the U.S. Army, was born in France. She moved six or seven times and attended nine different schools. Her family lived several years in Alaska, including its first as a state.
It wasn’t unusual to have two weeks’ notice before a big move.
“I learned a lot being a military brat,” she said. “I learned not to be afraid of change, not to be afraid of being a stranger. I learned how to show confidence and learn quickly.”
Landrum has relied on those traits as she’s switched roles in state government. She’s often had to adapt to new responsibilities and new procedures.
As she approaches her 28th anniversary as a state employee, she takes pride in the role she’s played to help DCR achieve its mission.
“It’s fun to see how the parks and programs have evolved,” she said, “and to know you played a small part in that.”
