Alumni Spotlight: Pam, SM ’90, and Nick Pudar, SM ’90

When Pam, SM ’90 and Nick Pudar, SM ’90 were admitted to MIT Sloan, the World Wide Web was still in its infancy and social media was decades away from being a reality. But this didn’t stop these married Sloanies from learning more about the community that made them who they are today.

Where are they now?

The Pudars said “yes” to Michigan right out of MIT Sloan and, much to their surprise, have lived there ever since. Nick is Canadian and Pam is from a long line of Buckeyes, so it’s still a little hard for them to believe that both of their kids graduated from Michigan. Nick retired from General Motors in 2019 and is the epitome of an ideal retiree—doing some targeted strategy consulting, teaching system dynamics to MIT Executive MBA students, and developing original magic tricks to fool other magicians with. Pam, also retired, works as a limited partner in the Belle Impact Fund (which invests in women-owned or women-managed early-stage businesses), coaches entrepreneurs, and offers culinary instruction at Cooking Matters.

How have they remained connected to MIT Sloan?
 Even when life was very crazy with dual careers and young children, the Pudars went back to Boston for their class reunions—babies included. Social media didn’t exist back then, so they kept in touch with classmates between reunions via handwritten letters, holiday cards, and the occasional in-person visits. They also attended many MIT Sloan on the Road events in Detroit, and as their careers progressed, even hosted a few. Pam recently served as an inaugural member of the MIT Sloan Alumni Board, as well as a member of the Executive Committee, where her interactions with other board members inspired Nick and Pam to host a Detroit-area MIT Sloan Alumni Picnic in their backyard last year.

Why do they support MIT Sloan philanthropically?
 The Pudars feel fortunate to have been able to attend MIT Sloan together. The experience allowed them both to learn and grow, which facilitated their career advancement, and to meet incredible people with whom they still keep in contact. They are paying it forward so others can have a similar experience. And though this may sound corny, they really do believe that Sloanies are all about “ideas made to matter,” and that investments today will produce significant future dividends for the world.

Any gift you make to the MIT Sloan Annual Fund during a reunion year will count toward your  Reunion Class Gift. And with your Reunion Weekend just around the corner, now is the time to join the Pudars and pay it forward by investing in the MIT Sloan community and its ongoing efforts to better the world.