San Diego Metropolitan - 40 Under 40

A native of California and nearly San Diego, too — her family moved here when she was 5 years old — Pam Hardy, 27, has found a career that combines her early aspirations with a college awakening.

When Hardy enrolled in the University of California San Diego in 1992, a career in law followed by politics was on her mind. Her major was political science and her minor Spanish.

Then she discovered the magic and power of radio.

“I decided I didn’t want to go into politics because the real action was in talking about what the politicians were doing.”

With that newfound desire and the encouragement of Shannon Bradley, who taught a news writing class at UCSD, Hardy applied for an associate producer’s job at KPBS. She didn’t get it. But she did land a 10-month internship with the station, a position she parlayed into a part-time, and then a full-time, producer’s job.

When not helping the KPBS on-air talent look smart — that’s what producers do — Hardy maintains a busy volunteer schedule. She is the publicity director for the San Diego Junior Miss Scholarship Program — “It’s not a beauty pageant.” — and is the assistant mother adviser for the Escondido assembly of the International Order of the Rainbow Girls, a Masonic youth group.

In 1993 she took a year off from school to serve as the Rainbow Girls’ top state officer. She traveled around California, Oregon and Nevada, speaking to girls about self esteem and community involvement. She also oversaw a campaign that raised $67,000 for the Scottish Rite Language Disorders Clinic in California.

Married to Aaron McFarland for three years, the couple lives in North Park with their two cats, Eleanor and Caligula.

Hardy is fond of vintage clothing, primarily from the 1940s and 1950s. What she can’t find, she makes, thanks to sewing lessons from her mom. She buys patterns at flea markets and antique shops, or gets them from magazines.

Last year she was promoted to senior producer of the award-winning “These Days” show on KPBS 89.5 FM.

“I love being able to tell our listeners about the world around them and really give the community a forum for discussion,” she says. “I like to hear from the groups in the community on what is on their minds, what are their issues. I like to feel we help people make a decision about something or even effect change in our community.”