Multiple avenues, one mission.
Pam Roy is a writer, investor, and philanthropist dedicated to education transformation, meaning-oriented philosophy, and mental health advocacy. Through her work with the Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America, B-Unbound, books, and films, she helps individuals and communities discover purpose and connection.
Her passion for parenting, community interconnectedness, and educational transformation is inspired by her three daughters, now young adults. What started as a parenting blog (pamroyblog.com) evolved into co-founding several initiatives. She is the co-founder of B-Unbound with Elliot Washor and Big Picture Learning, an initiative that expands the boundaries of school by connecting young people with community-based adults who share their interests and curiosities.
Her newest book, The Education Pivot: Meaning and Mattering in the Age of AI, co-authored with Elliot Washor, is forthcoming from Beacon Press in January 2027. The book makes the case that as AI reshapes the world, meaning, mattering, community, and connection must anchor how we educate young people. Pam also offers a Catapult Masterclass, titled “Navigating the Great Disconnect,” for educators and leaders ready to put these ideas into practice.
She is the author of Parenting from the Passenger Seat: How Our Children Develop Capabilities, Connections and Meaningful Lives, supporting parents in helping children navigate their own way through life.
She is also co-founder of the Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America with Frankl’s grandson, Alexander Vesely-Frankl, and Moira Hummel, which provides resources rooted in meaning-oriented theory and philosophy. Recognizing the key role meaning plays in mental health and human flourishing, Pam co-authored Viktor E. Frankl and the Search for Meaning: 21 Reflections on Living Life with Purpose with Moira Hummel (Beacon Press, 2025). She also developed a course with Alexander Vesely-Frankl titled Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy: The Discovery of Meaning, offered on the VFIA website and on Udemy.
Additionally, she co-founded Straight Up Impact, a women-owned production company at the intersection of film and social change, which is involved with the feature film of Man’s Search for Meaning and the docu-series Inside the Machine, about how institutional systems impact youth mental health, both currently in development.
Furthering her mental health advocacy, Pam is an executive producer of The Friendship Bench documentary with SeaLion Films, based on Dr. Dixon Chibanda’s evidence-based program that trains grandmothers to treat depression from park benches (available on BBC: Africa Eye). She is an advisor to Dr. Chibanda on expanding the reach of friendship benches globally.
Pam is also co-owner of Vaca Restaurants with Ahmed Labbate and Chef Amar Santana, where she organizes monthly community table dinners that bring people together around meaningful conversation, great food, and connection.