Alverno College, for over 135 years, has strived to educate and empower women to realize their leadership, strength of voice and potential to lead in the working world. Alverno’s support of “The Future is Female” continues to showcase and exemplify these efforts by supporting the stories of grit, resilience and strength of character of present, past and future leading women in the Milwaukee community! #AlvernoStrong

Dr. Eve M. Hall is the President and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, a position she’s held since 2017.

Dr. Hall grew up in Milwaukee’s Merrill Park neighborhood and graduated from Juneau High School. She then moved to Florida to attend – and later graduate from – Florida A&M University. She returned to Milwaukee for advanced degrees from University of  Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch University.

“I’m now in a position of influence to make positive change and that always has been at my core: wanting to improve the lives of others whether a child, teenager or adult through education, employment, entrepreneurship – anything that involves empowering others and lifting the human spirit,” she says. “And that’s also the mission of the Urban League.”

Here are the 8 questions every female in the series answers:

1. OnMilwaukee: What does active listening mean to you? Do you consider yourself a good listener, and if so, how has this helped you in your personal and professional relationships?

Dr. Eve Hall: Active listening is being totally present with the person who is speaking and not preparing in mind how you want to respond. That is something I’ve had to practice and I think many leaders probably have to work at it. It’s so easy being in your own space with your own opinion, but I’ve found it to be amazing that when I’m intentionally being present with a person who is speaking I learn who they are and what support they may need. Or sometimes they need another perspective or simply being an ear or sounding board.

2. What was the last subject you were curious about and then pursued to learn more? How did you pursue it?

Home ownership and housing instability. I shied away from being involved in that work simply because our plate (at the Urban League) was already full in terms of employment and education. But once we were involved in a home ownership project, it forced me to really understand what people are going through to find stable and quality housing and how limited resources really are.

3. If you can’t figure something out yourself, what source or person do you turn to first? As a woman, do you think you wait longer to reach out?

My spiritual life is very strong for me. In all do respect, I first go into prayer to seek council in some direction spiritually and then I will go to a couple of individuals whom I trust and have a strong spiritual bent or strong pragmatic business sense to help me sort though situations.

As a woman, sometimes I may wait longer, but I’ve grown into seeking input more quickly then in the past. As a woman in leadership I Believe often times we put more pressure in ourselves then we have to. We think we have to know everything when we really don’t.

Women in leadership roles have come a long way, but we still deal with various stereotypes, so finding that trusted circle or person is a little more challenging for us because often times we’re under a different pressure than our male counterparts.

4. What are your personal values? Who and/or what inspired them?

Respecting the experiences of others and being conscious of judgment because everyone comes to the table with their own experiences. Life happens to people. My mother has been a huge influence in respecting and appreciating others unconditionally. Also, my father always believed in respecting and appreciating everyone whether it was the high level executive or the person in line at a meal program where he was serving. My dad believed in everyone.

5. Technology and on-line communication/meetings/social has definitely changed over the years. Do these things help or hinder your growth – or both?

Social media has hindered general relationships. I prefer to meet directly with people. But that said, there are so many demands on our day and social media and Zoom make it easier to stay connected.

6. Where is the furthest you’ve traveled and what is a thing or two you learned from the experience? And what surprised you?

St. Martin island. From the first few minutes of being there I realized the the pace was very different from American’s – there is not a rush. I was standing at a hotel in a long line and you could tell the people from the United States had no patience whatsoever and everyone working behind the desk had this calm look like “it will all be OK.” This was so clear to me: we are always rushing and have little to no patience, even when we’re on a beautiful island in the Caribbean.

7. What are your favorite art forms? How do you challenge yourself to actively engage in the arts?

I love music. Especially jazz concerts especially in quaint settings. I also love plays. Plays are a way to create new understandings between people without confrontations – especially when depicting different cultures and communities on stage. Plays bring understanding between people. They allow us to watch something different but also be in our own space to work through personal thoughts or perspectives that we may have learned differently.

8. How do you/your work move Milwaukee forward?  

We are able to bring different voices together in many ways. Our annual Black & White Ball (scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4) is the most diverse gala in the city that includes everyone from business leaders to community leaders to young professionals. It’s such a potpourri of the people from our city that when I look out at the audience every year I see how we can be and how we are so much better when we are together. I utilize those moments every day to make our communities a win-win for as many people as possible.