PCSB Presents: A Conversation with Pam Flenke ’07, ’09G
In recognition of the 2023 BIG EAST Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, the Providence College School of Business presents a recent conversation with Pam Flenke ’07,’09G. Pam is the associate commissioner of women’s basketball communications and operations at the BIG EAST Conference. Holding a B.A. in Political Science and an M.B.A. from Providence College, Pam met with Ryan Hanewich ’23, ’24G, a marketing major and film minor, to discuss her time at PC, her career, and her advice for the next generation of Friars.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ryan Hanewich: You’re the Associate Commissioner of Women’s Basketball Communications and Operations with the BIG EAST Conference. What are your main responsibilities in that role?
Pam Flenke: Pretty much anything you can think of with the sport when it comes to scheduling. We have a head of officials, Debbie Williamson, who oversees assignment of our officials, but we work with her on those. And then there’s the tournament, which is the big event right now.
We have other little ancillary events as well, such as media day. We do a professional development event in September, typically in New York City, called Transition Game. We bring in outside speakers and coordinate these professional development things for our junior and senior student athletes. So, a lot of programming around that.
But anything that really has to do with women’s basketball—scheduling, officiating, the website, these events—anything that touches the sport. A lot of maintenance with our coaches, our administrators, the rules, the N.C.A.A. We do a lot of lobbying for our teams to get into the N.C.A.A. tournament. So, we meet with our committee reps. We get assigned committee representatives who are on the N.C.A.A. selection committee. And we just tell them why our teams should be picked into the tournament.
RH: Tell me briefly about your experience at PC.
PF: I actually transferred into Providence second semester of my sophomore year. My first year I was at Northeastern, and I just didn’t fit well there. I really wanted a campus vibe and a school that really supported athletics. I grew up playing sports, and I really wanted that sort of “rah-rah,” passionate, supportive feel, and I felt I would get that at Providence.
Part of my financial aid package was work-study. They gave me a list of jobs that I could do, and there was one that said sports on it. So, I said, “That’s cool. Let me see what that’s all about.” I walked into Arthur Parks’ [senior associate athletic director/media relations and strategic communications for men’s basketball] office and Jen Rynearson’s [associate athletic director/media relations for field hockey, women’s basketball, Swimming & Diving] office, applied for the job, and got the job.
I had no idea what it was. I mean, we all grew up going to sports and going to events, and we don’t realize all that goes into it. And that really exposed me to working events, whether it was logging stats at games or just running box scores, making copies. I learned the process of putting on games, putting on seasons, all that goes into it. And it really hooked me.
I was a political science major. I was getting ready to graduate from PC with my degree and head onto law school, and Jen and Arthur offered me a graduate assistantship. So, I did grad work at PC and got my M.B.A. there, and I was a [graduate assistant] for the Sports Information Department. And I stayed in sports. I loved being in it. From there, I interned at the BIG EAST right after grad school. After one year, I took a full-time job at West Point University and was in their athletics department working with football, women’s basketball, and all that.
I was there for four years. And then, the BIG EAST Conference realignment happened. I saw that my old boss, who was my boss when I was an intern, was part of the realignment. I gave her a call when they were hiring and got the job. That was November of 2013, just a couple months into the realignment. And I’ve been here ever since. I love it, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
RH: How did your career path prepare you for where you are today? Any of your experiences stand out?
PF: We say all the time that relationships are what matter. I could go to probably any Division 1 school in the country, and I might not know somebody there, but I know somebody that they know. And if you do a good job, if you’re passionate, if you grind, you’re going to make a good impression. And it’s going to go a long way.
I think being committed, being really passionate about what I do, and building those relationships with Arthur, Jen, John [Paquette, senior associate commissioner of sports media relations at the BIG EAST], and all these people have really helped. I think that’s the biggest takeaway whenever I talk to people. It’s the relationships.
RH: What do you find most fulfilling about being with the BIG EAST?
PF: I just really enjoy what I do. I love interacting with our coaches. The one different thing from working at a campus is that on-campus, you’re much more involved with the student athletes directly. And you lose that a little bit on the conference side, but you work more with the coaches and the administrators. It’s been really great getting to know them. I have some great relationships with our coaches, and those things are priceless.
I love interacting with them and learning so much. I can have so many mentors from different levels and different professions. It’s not just someone else that’s in media or operations. It could be a coach, a trainer, or whoever it is. I just love having interactions with other people that do different jobs than me and learning from them and taking what I can from them.
RH: Providence College and the Providence College School of Business are openly supportive of students wishing to enter the sports industry. We offer sports-centric courses in marketing and economics. We have frequent events with professionals in the field. What’s your advice for students who wish to break into the sports industry?
PF: I’ve learned along the way that you don’t always make a lot of money. I know there’s always this expectation when you graduate you’re going to make X number of dollars or whatever. It doesn’t happen, and it’s especially so in sports; because it’s such a competitive field, the pay rates just aren’t that high. You really have to be committed to it. When I was a G.A., I was making, like, 600 bucks and had to pay rent and my car. So, you find other ways. You work other events. You have a second job.
You have to be really committed to it. It’s not for the faint of heart, I’ll say that much. It’s long days. It’s hard work. It’s not the best pay at times. But if you really put your head down and grind to it, you can do well in it.
Like I said, it’s about relationships. If you’re working, whether it’s my tournament or the men’s tournament or whatever, it’s about the experience. And you can say, “You know what? I worked the biggest tournament, and here’s who I met,” and all that. Don’t be afraid to work hard and not make a lot of money at first.
You’re not going to just jump right into the full-time role sometimes. I think you learn all those little things as you take these smaller roles and work more events and meet more people. That would probably be it. Don’t be afraid to work hard. And if it’s your passion, then go all out in it.
