Pam Ames is a singer and drummer in the Feather River Singers, a local Native American women's drumming group. She is of Cherokee descent and has joined the U.S. Census Bureau as a Tribal Partnership Specialist for the 2010 U.S. Census. She earned a B.A. in Music Education and an M.A. in Music, specializing in composing and recording electronic music. She is also a mother.