Pamela Willeford
Encyclopedia
United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein
This is a list of United States Ambassadors to Switzerland.Since 1997, the US ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein. The position is generally held by a political appointee, not a career diplomat.-Ambassadors:-See also:...
between 2003 and 2006. She is also notable as being the sole eyewitness of the 2006 hunting incident
Dick Cheney hunting incident
The Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
where then-United States Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
accidentally shot attorney Harry Whittington
Harry Whittington
Harry M. Whittington is an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure from Austin, Texas who received international media attention on February 11, 2006, when he was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail with two women on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas, near...
in the face and chest.
Biography
Willeford grew up in Breckenridge, TexasBreckenridge, Texas
Breckenridge is a city in Stephens County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,868 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stephens County...
and attended The Hockaday School
The Hockaday School
The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls located in Dallas, Texas, USA and surrounding areas...
in Dallas. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
with a BA in English and Spanish. She became a public and private school teacher in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, starting around the early 1970s. During the 1980s, she was a trustee of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Texas)
St. Andrew's Episcopal School, also known as SAS, is a private school located in Austin, Texas, USA. St. Andrew's enrolls students in grades 1-12 and is divided into three divisions: Lower , Middle , and Upper Schools...
in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
; she worked prominently in the expansion of the school. On the Texas State Preservation Board, she has been Director of Development, and coordinated its Texas Capitol Rededication project. She began serving on the Board and the Executive Committee of the Texas Book Festival
Texas Book Festival
The Texas Book Festival was established in 1995 by Laura Bush, then the First Lady of Texas, and Mary Margaret Farabee, wife of former State Senator Ray Farabee. The festival was created to benefit the state's public library system, to promote the joy of reading, as well as to honor Texas authors. ...
upon their creation in 1996, and as of 2003, had continued to without interruption.
Willeford worked on developing education policy and promoting community service in Texas. She was appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is an agency of the Texas state government that oversees all public post-secondary education in Texas. It is headquartered at 1200 East Anderson Lane in Austin....
in 1995, by Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. She served on the board for eight years, being promoted to chairwoman in 1998. During her tenure as chairwoman, the Board developed a new higher-education plan for the state.
She has been involved in numerous civic organizations, including The Helping Hand Home for Children, SafePlace Center for Battered Women, Trinity Episcopal School
Trinity Episcopal School
Trinity Episcopal School is independent school, founded in 2000, serving 421 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The campus is located at 750 E. 9th Street in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
, The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Junior League of Austin. She was awarded "Volunteer Extraordinaire" by the Junior League of Austin in 2002 and "Woman of Distinction" from the Girl Scouts Lone Star Council
Scouting in Texas
Scouting in Texas has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live...
in 2003. She has also served as Advisory Committee Chairman for The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries and is currently its chairperson.
On July 30, 2003, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated Willeford as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein in anticipation of Mercer Reynolds III leaving that post. She was sworn in on October 27, 2003. She served until September 2006, when she was succeeded by Peter R. Coneway.
She is a long-time Bush family friend, and she and her immediate family have given a total of $23,200 to Republicans during the 2000, 2002, and 2004 election cycles.
Hunting incident
On February 11, 2006, she was the only witness of when Dick CheneyDick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
accidentally shot
Dick Cheney hunting incident
The Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
Texas attorney Harry Whittington
Harry Whittington
Harry M. Whittington is an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure from Austin, Texas who received international media attention on February 11, 2006, when he was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail with two women on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas, near...
during a quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
hunt.