Enterprise Rent-A-Car recently announced that President and Chief Operating Officer Pamela M. Nicholson has been named to this year’s FORTUNE 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

It is the second time on the list for Nicholson, who oversees a worldwide network of more than 8,000 Enterprise, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car locations and the efforts of 75,000 employees.

“There is no better example of Enterprise’s promote-from-within philosophy at work than Pam Nicholson,” said Andrew C. Taylor, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Pam started out behind the rental counter and has worked her way up to our most senior leadership ranks. Along the way, her energy, her hands-on leadership style, and her passion for our business have made her an invaluable contributor to our company’s growth and success.”

Nicholson ranked No. 29 on the 2008 list, up from No. 44 in 2007. FORTUNE compiles the ranking of women leaders at for-profit companies based on the size, importance and health of their businesses in the global economy, career momentum and social and cultural influence. The complete list and accompanying stories appear in the magazine’s October 13 issue.

Nicholson began her career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 1981 as a management trainee in St. Louis after graduating from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Over the ensuing years she was promoted through the ranks to top positions in Southern California and New York as well as at Enterprise corporate headquarters in St. Louis. She was promoted to senior vice president, North American operations in 1999, executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2003 and president in August of 2008.

Outside of her Enterprise duties, Nicholson is involved in community causes including past service on the board of the United Way of Bergen County, New Jersey; and as a past member of the board of INROADS of St. Louis, an employment program for minority college students. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Humane Society of Missouri. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, a director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation and a generous supporter of a number of social causes in the St. Louis area, including the United Way.