Biography
Pam Iorio served as mayor of Tampa, Florida, from 2003 to 2011, only the second woman to hold that office.
Iorio was born April 27, 1959, in Waterville, Maine. She graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Science in political science. She also earned a master's degree in history from the University of South Florida in Tampa in 2001.
Iorio began her political career at age 26, when she became the youngest person ever elected to the Hillsborough County Commission (1985 to 1992). A year later, her fellow commissioners elected her chair. After serving two terms on the county commission, Iorio was elected three times as supervisor of elections for Hillsborough County (1993 to 2003). In 2000, she was elected president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, becoming the spokesperson for the supervisors during the 2000 presidential election. Iorio ushered in the electronic age of voting, managing the highly successful transition from punch card to touch-screen voting technology in 2002. Also in 2002, for her work in the area of election reform, she was presented the Leadership Florida Distinguished Alumnus Award, which recognizes statewide leadership in bettering the lives of Floridians.
In March 2014, Iorio became president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She retired in 2020
Sources:
Office of the City Clerk (n.d.). “Pam Iorio - 57th Mayor Of Tampa” City of Tampa. Retrieved November 7, 2022. https://www.tampa.gov/city-clerk/info/previous-mayors/iorio-pam
Weber, N. (2020, November 23). “Pam Iorio to retire from Big Brothers Big Sisters as agency hires historic new leader” Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 7, 2022. https://www.tampa.gov/city-clerk/info/previous-mayors/iorio-pam