Dr. Eve Hall has held many positions throughout her life. From her time as a teacher, to working for Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, to becoming the President and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League. She sat down with WTMJ’s Libby Collins to talk about how she got where she is today, the way that her career paths have intertwined, the history of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, and more on this edition of WTMJ Conversations! Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
LIBBY COLLINS: For a short time, you worked for Governor Tommy Thompson as well.
DR. EVE HALL: I did. I did.
LIBBY COLLINS: How did that come about?
DR. EVE HALL: I did.
So that one, I had been working for Milwaukee Public Schools as the school-to-work administrator. That was exciting, it was a new initiative.
Milwaukee Public Schools, through the state, had received funding for their programming and for their apprenticeship programs. Well, that was huge for Governor Thompson at that time. There were times when he would come into the city, have tours, and I would be the one responsible to help or I would meet him and whoever was touring to see our different school-to-work programs. There came a point in time where I had been at MPS for four years, there wasn’t as much emphasis on the whole school-to-work initiative, which was huge. We actually became a national model, so it was disappointing that it was not carried on and supported as it should have been. So, during that time, I received a call from the governor’s office who had an opening, and my name had been tossed around as someone that should be talked to about that role. This was a new experience that I never expected.
DR. EVE HALL: I think about the past leaders of the Urban League that served during the time when we were not necessarily welcomed at the table or where the efforts to level the playing field were not always receiving enthusiasm. So, when you’re in these roles, you’re taking a chance with people maybe wanting to harm you, maybe wanting to harm the organization.
Once I really understood and learned the history of the Urban League and becoming the leader, I see it as an honor and a privilege because of what the organization has done and how we are still so relevant. There are still issues around disparity, as you know, and so our presence is very critical because we’ve been through these times in the past. My hope and my belief is, though, that despite some of the challenges that we’re facing, there are enough of us that are willing to come together to still push through the negativity or the barriers that still exist.
