The College of Arts & Sciences is mourning the unexpected loss of former Carolina colleague and treasured friend Ishna Hall.
Hall was a valued member of the major gifts team at the Arts & Sciences Foundation for 11 years. Carolina alumni, friends, faculty and colleagues were privileged to work alongside her, as she consistently demonstrated compassion, wisdom and grace in all that she did. While at Carolina, Hall worked on some of the College’s largest gifts and touched a number of departments and programs, including entrepreneurship, economics, political science, public policy, creative writing, religious studies, Summer Bridge, Honors Carolina and scholarships. Hall graduated from UNC with a bachelor’s degree in history. Before returning to her alma mater to work in development in 2008, Hall worked at Triangle United Way, and before that, she was a schoolteacher.
Her passion and love for Carolina was exemplified in her day-to-day life at work, but also through her dedication and service to her beloved sorority, the Kappa Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In July, Hall was recognized as the Collegiate Advisor of the Year at the National Convention for her incredible work with and steadfast devotion to the Kappa Omicron Chapter at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she served as an on-campus advisor for the past six years.
In February 2019, Hall joined Emory University’s Goizueta Business School as assistant dean and senior director of development. In this role, she served as a member of the senior leadership team and oversaw alumni advancement and engagement. She was charged with driving fundraising efforts for scholarships, endowments, and general funds to benefit faculty, students, and alumni, while also leading a team of major gift officers and alumni engagement directors united by the same objectives. The Carolina community sends our condolences to her colleagues at Emory, who were just getting the chance to work with and know such a committed and cherished leader.
With deepest appreciation and utmost respect, Carolina friends and family have established the Ishna J. Hall Excellence Fund to celebrate the life and legacy of Ishna J. Hall. To honor Hall and her love for Carolina, memorial gifts may be made to the Ishna J. Hall Excellence Fund in the College of Arts & Sciences. Click here to make an online gift. Checks can be made payable to the “Arts & Sciences Foundation” with “Ishna Hall – 104781” in the memo line. Please send checks to the Arts & Sciences Foundation, 523 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
