2025 Hall of Fame Inductee
As a Trojan, Pamela Johnson Betts was a senior class representative, a member of the Usher Club and Drill Team, and All-School Party Queen. Pamela earned a BA in Social Work from Washburn University and a Master of Social Work from Kansas University. Pamela’s career focused on public service and education beginning in 1974. She was a school social worker, director of government and community relations in the Kansas Department of Health and Education, adjunct instructor at Washburn University, executive director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, and Secretary of the Kansas Department of Aging. Most recently she was executive director for the Topeka Public Schools Foundation. Her leadership raised funds for teacher-initiated classroom grants and emergency funding for Topeka Public School families and students in crisis. Her work through the decades has served as a model for young African American girls and women. For the past 45 years Pamela has been a leader in the Topeka community and the State of Kansas.