Alumni in Action: Ivy Hall Encourages Parents to Use their Voices at School

Ivy Hall, a graduate of Leaders of Color-Memphis, spent many years working in traditional banking before she followed her passion to support underserved communities with education programs and help more families build generational wealth.?

Ivy served the Memphis community as part of Graduate Memphis, an organization providing free services for adults seeking to successfully return or start and complete a post-secondary education program. Graduate Memphis helps adults earn Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees, as well as degrees and certificates from career colleges, technical schools, and vocational programs. Using her experience with banking and community education, Ivy then turned her career to working with Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs. These organizations provide banking and financial education services to underserved communities that typically do not have access to capital because they are often denied loans like mortgages or small business loans more often than their peers.?

Ivy’s professional work is tied to her belief that all people have a voice to advocate for the change they want to see, and get the service they need to succeed. This philosophy also guides her work as a parent and active member in her daughter’s school community. “I really encourage educators and parents to work more closely together … because when you're involved, you actually have the opportunity to make more decisions. You also have the opportunity to ask more questions about the decisions that are being made about our students.”?

Ivy has served as president of the PTA, and is an active participant in the school community, regularly talking with teachers, administrators, and others who play a role in her child’s education. She believes that systemic education reform is possible, if parents get as involved as possible. “When you're looking at these objectives in these [education] standards, and you're educating yourself on what's going on in the classroom, that will help you to be a more empowered and engaged parent, and that's how education will truly be reformed.”