Manager, Community Connections, Institute for Urban Care
Dr. Pamela Pruitt (she/her/hers) is the manager of Community Connections for Capital Health Institute for Urban Care in Trenton, New Jersey. Before joining Capital Health, Dr. Pruitt was the executive director for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey for 10 years. In this role, she created and designed a physical Center for Diversity and Inclusion to provide a nurturing space of belonging for students. Following the national turmoil associated with the murder of George Floyd, Dr. Pruitt led the Rider community through a series of challenging conversations and initiatives as the University healed from this national tragedy and political and racial unrest.
Dr. Pruitt received her doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in communication from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and studied abroad in Oxfordshire England at Wroxton College of Fairleigh Dickinson University. She received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey. In 2023, she received her executive certificate in public leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts after completing three of its executive leadership programs.
A recognized community leader in Trenton, Dr. Pruitt has been an integral part of the community for more than 25 years, weaving herself into the fabric of the city. As the director of communications for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, she immersed herself into Trenton’s culture, working with arts organizations, media outlets, and its diverse residents throughout the state. As vice president for business development at WIMG 1300 AM, a local gospel radio station, she connected with houses of worship, their leaders, and congregations, creating programming that promoted community outreach and addressed health disparities.
Leading the Trenton Public Education Foundation (TPEF) for seven years as founding chair, Dr. Pruitt gained insights into the lives of children and families, striving to fill the gaps in their experiences.
Dr. Pruitt serves on the boards of the Trenton Health Team (THT), the Capital Area YMCA, McCarter Theater, and the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce and on committees for local and national organizations. She also serves as the chair of the Northeast Tri-State Chapter of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
Dr. Pruitt’s contributions have earned her numerous awards and commendations, but being awarded Greater Trenton’s Caren Franzini Capital City Award in 2021, alongside her spouse, Dr. George Pruitt (president emeritus and board distinguished fellow at Thomas Edison State University) for their contributions to the City of Trenton is especially meaningful to her.