Her Story
About Pam
Pam K. Crumpton is a Workforce Development Specialist with First Solar, where she supports community outreach, education, and workforce readiness initiatives within the renewable energy manufacturing industry. After nearly 30 years in education, she retired from teaching in 2024 and transitioned into the solar energy sector, continuing her lifelong commitment to learning and development in a new and evolving capacity. In her current role, she works closely with students, educators, and community partners to promote career opportunities in advanced manufacturing and help individuals explore pathways into the clean energy workforce.
Her daily responsibilities are diverse and dynamic, ranging from coordinating associate training programs to engaging directly with the community to share information about career opportunities at First Solar. She also partners with local schools to introduce students to solar energy technologies and inspire interest in STEM careers. Pam finds the greatest fulfillment in building meaningful connections between associates and opportunities for growth, and she takes pride in supporting individuals as they advance within the organization. She has had the privilege of seeing former students join the company and progress into higher-level roles, which she considers one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.
Prior to her current role, Pam spent many years in education, transitioning from teaching mathematics to career and technical education, where she specialized in electronics and robotics. Throughout her career in both education and industry, she has been guided by the values of honesty, integrity, and a deep commitment to helping others succeed. She recognizes the wide range of growth opportunities within the renewable energy and manufacturing field, including pathways into leadership, human resources, safety, quality, and technical operations, and remains passionate about helping others discover and achieve their professional goals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Pam
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success primarily to hard work, honesty, and building strong relationships. I believe that consistently showing up, staying committed to my responsibilities, and putting in the effort required in both education and workforce development has been essential to my growth. I also place a strong value on integrity, making decisions that are ethical, transparent, and aligned with doing what is right. In addition, I have found that cultivating meaningful professional relationships has been key to my success, as collaboration, trust, and mutual respect create opportunities to learn, grow, and positively impact others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to do what makes you happy. If you are happy, then it doesn't matter what your career path is - as long as you're happy, you're going to be successful. This advice has guided me throughout my career transitions and helped me understand that fulfillment and success go hand in hand.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, learn everything you can. It's not easy, but take time to learn everything you can about the industry. Take time to pamper yourself you can't allow yourself to get lost in a career path. You have to take time to not lose yourself in that career. Be strong. Women are often underrepresented in manufacturing careers, not just my career, but all manufacturing careers. And to be successful, you have to stand strong.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the challenges I face is the longer hours - it's somewhat challenging sometimes, and it's different from what I worked in education. But as far as opportunities go, opportunities are always here for us. Right now I'm a workforce development specialist, and there's always room for growth. We have team lead positions, HR positions, safety, EHS, quality, and the actual manufacturing positions themselves. I could apply for any position here in which I have the qualifications. There's endless growth opportunities for me or for any female in the industry in which I work.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are important to me at work are to be honest and to try and help people as much as I can. In my personal life, I love spending time with my family. I love traveling, I love just watching my grandchildren grow. My husband is retired, and I enjoy watching him getting to do what he enjoys at home. That's the things that I value most - it's my family, and just seeing them grow. We have 7 grandchildren, and watching them change from year to year brings me joy.
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