Helping Others Win: Pamela Osborne

By: Arquelle Shaw, Senior Vice President, Americas Sales at Equinix

This is a fantastic edition of the leadership series Helping Others Win where we celebrate the amazing people at Equinix who excel at their day jobs, and who also give back to their communities. We are exploring a unique and powerful way to help at-risk youth, and the leadership of Pamela Osborne, Vice President of Sales, Northeast. Pamela is a valued Sales leader who joined Equinix about a year ago, and in that time, she has demonstrated impactful vision and results. Based on her success during her tenure at Equinix, it’s no surprise she also impacts her community. Please enjoy the newest installment of Helping Others Win where we highlight Pamela and an organization very close to her heart.

Pamela is currently in her sixth year on the Board of Directors for Café Momentum, a Dallas-based organization on a mission to transform young lives by equipping Dallas’s most at-risk youth with life skills, education and employment opportunities to help them achieve their full potential. Pamela and I recently sat down to discuss her inspiration, success, and vision for Café Momentum:

What is the mission of Café Momentum??

The Café Momentum team works alongside the Juvenile Justice Department to teach our country’s youth that it is possible to break the cycle of incarceration and violence many of these kids are facing. We focus on helping kids ages 15-19 by creating environments where they can gain self-confidence, learn marketable skills, and ensure a more successful future.

Café Momentum provides a program that is as special as it is effective. Café Momentum owns and operates restaurants, culinary training facility and youth community centers to help young people whom the juvenile justice system often refers to as “throw-aways”. The nonprofit restaurant provides 12-month paid internships for “justice-involved” youth, which starts with a two-week orientation, where interns are connected with case managers to address basic urgent needs, establish a baseline of stability in their lives and set personal goals. The interns work their way through all areas of the restaurant, learning legal employment, social and life skills.

Case management ensures a well-rounded ecosystem of support including financial literacy training, parenting classes, educational assistance and career exploration. Case managers also help work through issues such as anger management, trauma recovery, fatherlessness and abandonment. After 12 months, successful interns graduate from the program and are placed in a job with one of our community partners. These youth, who were once at-risk, are now employed, tax-paying, wholly contributing members of society.

My involvement with Café Momentum also extends to my belief in mentoring youth and exposing colleagues to leadership opportunities both internally at Equinix and externally in my network. For example, my Equinix colleague Danielle Barnett, Sales Director based in Dallas, was recently added to the Café Momentum Board of Directors… and she is the youngest Board Member to date.?Danielle has created multiple events highlighting the Equinix/Café Momentum partnership focused on community service. She is doing great work, and I am so proud of her.

While Café Momentum currently is located in Dallas, it's important to know that we are expanding with the help of the NFL and the NFL Players Association:

Through their partnerships with organizations like the NFL and the NFL Players Association, Café Momentum is targeting NFL cities for expansion; in fact, in 2022 expansion restaurants will open Nashville, TN and Pittsburgh, PA.

How did you become involved in Café Momentum??

Almost nine years ago, AT&T relocated me from the East Coast to Dallas. As part of their philanthropy, ?they hosted a mixer to introduce company leadership to United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Tocqueville Society. Café Momentum CEO & Founder Chad Hauser and the Café Momentum kids were attending and serving appetizers.?At the time, Chad’s concept was being incubated at United Way’s Headquarters.?Chad and I hit it off, kept in touch, and two years later when the physical restaurant was launched, I was asked to join the Board.?I’ve been there ever since, every step of the way.

Why is the mission important to you??

Black and Brown children are far too often deemed not worthy of investment and if they get in trouble, and simply put, they are not given the opportunity to turn their lives around. When I began spending time with these wonderful kids they were just that – wonderful kids who got into a little trouble.?And not because they were irresponsible, but in many cases looking to care for their mothers, their little brothers/sisters and took a wrong turn. They deserved a second (and maybe even a third) chance to be all I know they can be.?They just needed some folks who cared and were committed. Chad Hauser, Margaret Reid-Windham and many others were those people. I wanted to be a part of that movement. I have son, and I see him when I look into the eyes of these kids. They could easily be him. The organization became my calling and passion.

How does Café Momentum inspire you??

Café Momentum expires me in ways I never imagined. Being a voice for these young people, for this organization, moved me from being a donor who just cut a check once year to an activist for these young people. So many of them have gone through the program and gone on to do remarkable things in their communities, gone on to secondary education and internships.?

Simply put, they may be diamonds in the rough when the come in, but they leave polished and capable.?

What is your most important accomplishment??

My most important accomplishment is being apart of a movement that has grown from one restaurant in Dallas to a second restaurant in Nashville, TN with other locations on the map for expansion, as well as several “Pop Up” restaurants and food trucks in many other cities.?Our little program has now become a national phenomenon that has attractive investors like the NFL and the NFL players association. There's even a fantastic documentary that will keep our story front and center.?It’s a long way from incubation at United Way to where we are today.

Equally rewarding, I am energized to see young people like my colleague Danielle Barnett embrace the mission and decide she wants to be a part of the Board to ensure our vision continues. You just can’t ask for more reward than that. I learn as much from her and her energy in this mentee/mentor relationship. I recently moved back to the East Coast, and I know that when I decide to hand over the reigns fully, they’ll be in good hands with Danielle.

How can others get involved to advance the mission of Café Momentum?

If you are in the Dallas or Nashville areas, there are great ways to support Café Momentum. Join us at the restaurant and enjoy the experience. (Feel free to make a reservation!) Volunteers are always welcome, and you can join us for one of our events. And if you don’t live in Dallas or Nashville, you can always make a monetary donation.

Lastly, and equally important, encourage someone who could benefit from the program to apply for an internship. We truly want to help these kids turn their lives around… including the kids who may be in your life.

What is your favorite quote to inspire other leaders??

“Everything you want is achievable if you define it and design it for yourself based upon your values and what’s important to you.” – Mara Brock Akil, screenwriter and television producer

This quote touches my heart because it reminds us to create priorities, honor your values, and never forget what is important in your life. For me, that is my family, my work, and the kids who need me the most. As long as I can stay true to who I am and help others… I will be happy.?

About Pamela Osborne?

Pamela is a highly accomplished sales executive with more than 20 years’ experience developing and executing innovative sales strategies, building diverse, high-performing teams, and delivering results in complex organizations. Pamela is the Vice President NE Sales for Equinix & US Select, and she has a passion for creating a culture of success, ongoing business, and goal achievements support safe, open, inclusive, and accepting working environments. Most importantly, Pamela enjoys her role as Mom to her son Eric.

Thank you, Pamela!?

Pamela, thank you for your fantastic and important work. I appreciate your statement that these kids need a second or even third chance. I am so proud to know that you are part of giving them the support, training and even the break they need to be successful. You are a great role model for them, your son, your team at Equinix… and to me.

?Arquelle?