Pamela Wood

Photo courtesy of Donna Cole.

I’ve wanted to be a journalist ever since the newspaper unit in Mrs. Dodson’s sixth-grade reading class. I was assigned to write a news-style version of a scene in Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild.” I wrote it up on my typewriter and I was hooked.

I’ve moved beyond the old typewriter in my  bedroom and into the world of newspaper and online journalism. I’ve covered a little bit of everything over the years and I’m always learning new ways to tell stories.

I’ve walked the corridors of maximum-security state prisons, I’ve tonged for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, I’ve been in the bowels of a giant container ship, I’ve reeled in a trophy-size rockfish and I’ve followed police officers and firefighters to fires, manhunts, standoffs and murders. I’ve been to planning meetings, court hearings and legislative debates. I’ve blogged through record-setting snowstorms and nail-biter elections.

Five years ago, I witnessed iconic Maryland politician William Donald Schaefer admit defeat in his final election. Earlier this year, I chronicled his life following his death at the age of 89.

While I started my career as a just-the-facts newspaper reporter, I also write features, profiles and explanatory articles. I’ve done a bit of sportswriting, too. With experience at a wire service and an afternoon daily newspaper with punishing deadlines, I can write quickly and accurately. I’m often the go-to person in my newsroom for quick turnaround stories.

Photo courtesy of the Maryland Governor's Office.

I’m not limited to the written word, either. I’ve developed skills in photography and video production — sometimes telling stories in all three media while on assignment.

I’ve been honored for my work by the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. I am a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

When I’m not chasing the news, I enjoy photography, taking dance classes and spending time with my nieces, nephews and godchildren. I’ve been in the same Baltimore-area book club since December 2002. I root for the Terps, Ravens and Orioles, and, as a former gymnast, I can still walk on my hands.