Angela Hall ('01 BBA, Marketing)

Tell us about yourself.
I am a native Texan, born and raised in Grand Prairie, which made it a natural fit to attend UTA! After graduating, I spent about 6 years living in Madison, Wisconsin, where I started an events planning company and worked in the non-profit realm. I moved back to DFW in 2009 and settled in Fort Worth. I met my husband through mutual friends in Fort Worth and we did that thing where you settle down, buy a house, and start a family. Our son joined us in 2018 and we’re currently adding on to that house with plans to stay put for a while in our great neighborhood. My spare time is usually spent practicing yoga and teaching yoga at some area studios and to the community through my own brand: An Average Yogi. I love dogs, the environment, dancing, Fort Worth, coffee, other redheads, voting, indoor house plants, culinary delights, traveling, music, and art. I am known for telling corny jokes, show-off yoga poses, and being fiercely dependable, loyal, adaptable, and a kind challenger.

Why did you choose to attend UTA?
Admittedly, I started my first year of college at TCU as a chemistry major. As I was still living at home in Grand Prairie, I never really got integrated into the campus community and transferred to the UTA chemistry program the next semester. At the time, the main reason I chose UTA was because my college boyfriend was attending the music program there (eek! I know!), but I felt confident about my choice because of the high ranking science and mathematics programs and easier commute from home.

What did you study at UTA? What attracted you to that field?
As I mentioned, I originally was a chemistry major with plans to go into pharmacy or forensic chemistry. After taking a few AP level classes, I just didn’t feel like being in a lab all day would suit my personality. I loved the science and math aspects, but needed more face-to-face engagement. I utilized some services in the counseling department who advised me to take a career aptitude test, which resulted in the recommendation to move to the business school. It actually said I should be a small business owner! So, off I went to the business school which requires new students to take the entry level class of each major (at the time, I believe it was HR, Management, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and… IT?). After taking them all, I decided that I hated marketing the least. Ha! What a way to select a major, eh? Luckily, the upper level classes engaged and excited me and I knew I had made the right choice. Most people lean more creative or more analytical, but I fancy myself as equally divided left- and right-brained. Marketing provides great satisfaction to people like me who are creative problem solvers, empathetic leaders, and hard workers.

Describe your UTA experience. How did UTA help prepare you for your career?
If it weren’t for the career aptitude test, I don’t know if I would have landed in marketing at the business school. But once there, I became active in the professional marketing fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon, and participated in their Shadow Day where I got to go to work to observe a marketing professional at work. I remember going to a business that created promotional materials that would be distributed through direct mail. They had a fulfillment center and everything. As a 21 year old, it sounded quite boring to me!

Aside from the business school, I also took some classes in the music department (where many of my friends - including that boyfriend - were working on their degrees in music education and performance). I took music theory and percussion ensemble so that I had the music credits needed to join Sigma Alpha Iota, a music fraternity for women. It’s through SAI that I made many of my lifelong friends.

What drew you to marketing in your career after graduating from UTA?
My first job was a new position as marketing director for a promotional goods store in Grand Prairie. I was eager to put all my new knowledge to work through advertising, market research, and events. Unfortunately, I don’t think they were ready for me! Quickly thereafter, I began to realize that event-based marketing was what excited me the most. Even in high school, I was volunteering to plan events for the student council and band. Once again, it’s that balance of details and creativity that excites me.

Shortly thereafter, I created my own wedding and event planning company and became a certified wedding planner. I also began working for non-profits as their event coordinator. All of this experience combined with the marketing knowledge I had contributed to my success as a marketer.

Describe your path to vice president for marketing, events, and communications. What have you learned along the way?
Once I settled in Fort Worth, I became very active in a new organization called SteerFW. I met other young professionals who were civic-minded and in love with Fort Worth. I also completed a graduate program at SMU to receive my Master of Science in Entrepreneurship. I knew I wanted to focus on small businesses, whether it was my own or helping others. While in grad school, I worked at Montgomery Plaza as a concierge, then manager, where I got to serve the “who’s who” of Fort Worth.

Maybe because of luck, but more likely due to good friends and strong relationships, I was referred for a new position at the West 7th shopping center to be their director of marketing with a primary focus on events. Once I started that role, I planned 12 festivals in that first year and generated lots of foot traffic to the center and social media traffic to the brand. At this time, I was honored to also join and help promote the Cultural District Alliance.

"This is why I am strongly loyal to events and experiences as a marketing tool, because they can be so effective at generating emotion which imprints on memory."

From there, I was recommended for a role at Trademark Property Company, who was opening two new shopping centers in Fort Worth that needed a marketing director. I was able to continue honing my event marketing skills while also beginning to get back to my marketing roots. During the pandemic, I spent some time in healthcare and then in the technology consulting industries, deepening my marketing knowledge in areas such as digital, social, email, B2B, and analytics.

It’s really the combination of all these experiences plus the strong relationships I’ve made that led me to the role I hold today with the Fort Worth Chamber. In many circumstances, I was the main representative of a business at the Chamber and attended events, so I knew about the value of the Chamber from that perspective. Now, I get to operate from the other side where I can create, evolve, and communicate the benefits of being a Chamber member to other local small (and large) businesses. It’s been a terrific fit and I am excited every day for the opportunities we have to continue making Fort Worth a great place to work and live through our leadership, advocacy, and engagement.

What are you most looking forward to in the development of Fort Worth Chamber marketing and communications?
The marketing, communications, and events teams of prior generations have laid such good ground work that I don’t see huge shifts, but instead, small tweaks to ensure we are clearly communicating our benefits to members, and explaining to the community at large how the Chamber benefits them through our advocacy and business retention and expansion work. I am an extrovert so I love meeting new people and hearing their stories, and asking how I can help them. I look forward to growing our small business education and networking offerings, along with producing some killer signature events in 2025!

Can you share any defining moments in your career that inspired you to continue your work?
Every event is an inspiration to me. When I was a wedding planner, sending off a smiling, happy couple (and gracious parents) was the reward. Creating a memorable experience at the non-profits I worked with that both raised crucial funds but also deepened loyalty to their cause. Vendors who become friends because they know I respect them, their expertise and value, and provide clear channels of communication. This is why I am strongly loyal to events and experiences as a marketing tool, because they can be so effective at generating emotion which imprints on memory.

What's one lesson you learned at UTA that has stayed with you still today?
This is kind of a shift from the theme of my previous answers, but it’s important for me to share. Before I attended UTA, I did not know what engineers did. I walked by the school of engineering often (it was near the music department building) and finally decided to ask and learn about it. What I learned is that the aptitude I had in math and science could have provided me a completely different career path as an engineer. However, it was not taught to me in elementary, middle, or even high school like it is so many students in public school today. As such, I am a strong believer in STEM programs for girls, such as what Girls Inc. of Tarrant County provides.

What message do you have for the next generation of UTA graduates?
One thing I wish I had been encouraged to do was to take my time and gain more experiences that I otherwise would not be afforded. I filled every semester with classes - Maymester, summers, and winter breaks. I graduated in 3 years with my bachelors. I did not know I could travel abroad over the summer with an organized group. I did not take any internships. Don’t be in a hurry to grow up, because that’s all that is left on the other side! Enjoy your youth and flexibility while you have it. Your future self will thank you.