(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - April 25, 2014) - - - Columbia State Community College alumna Pam Thomason will deliver the commencement address to the graduating class at the college's 2014 spring commencement ceremony May 10 at 10 a.m.

"I am excited that Pam has accepted our invitation to deliver our spring commencement address," said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president. "She is a great example of how important an associate degree is to a successful career and lifelong learning."

In 2000, Thomason earned a certificate in business management and went on to complete an Associate of Applied Science degree in general technology in 2002, both from Columbia State where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

From 1976-2009, Thomason worked for MeadWestvaco, now Smurfit-Stone, where she was controller, quality control, and customer service manager over five plants. She was also in sales and served on corporate teams and implemented various programs and processes to improve productivity and profitability. From 2009-2012, she worked as a sales representative at Georgia-Pacific, bringing in 10 million dollars in sales in two years.

Thomason is currently employed as a senior account manager at Pratt Industries, America's fifth largest box manufacturer and the world's largest, privately held 100 percent recycled paper and packaging company dedicated to the environment and sustainability. In 2012 alone, Pratt saved more than 17 million trees - enough to cover 40 football fields every day.

An avid volunteer, Thomason has offered her time for Columbia State, the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Child Development Center, as well as her church. She has also received the Marshall County Community Service Award, D.B. Minor Community Service Award, and was a member of Leadership Marshall.

A top graduate of her class at Cornersville High School, Thomason was a member of the all-state basketball team and a Beta Club member. She was also crowned Miss Marshall County and Miss Cornersville.

Thomason and her husband, Billy, reside on Snake Creek Farm in Belfast. She is the daughter of Howard and Margaret Haislip and the late Ida Mai Haislip, and she has two children, Mindy Hooten, a Columbia State nursing graduate, and Will Thomason, an employee of Lewisburg Electric System. She has five grandchildren and is a member of Church Street Church of Christ. She and her husband enjoy showing mules and won the Grand Champion Jennet, Jack and Mule in Tennessee.

The spring commencement ceremony will take place in the W.J. "Billy" Webster Athletic Center on the Columbia campus, located at 1665 Hampshire Pike. Family and friends are encouraged to arrive early as seating is on a first-come basis.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.