Today we’d like to introduce you to Alana Hill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the youngest of two children born to a feisty Jamaican-born numbers wiz and a Worthing High School grad, turned serviceman. I inherited several traits from my mom, the top of that list is resilience and compassion (okay and intelligence). After succumbing to drug addiction in my early teens, she was murdered. That was my senior year in high school and I entered college just a few months later and received a Petroleum Engineering degree from Texas A&M University.
In 2005, I took a business trip to West Africa. I worked for an international oilfield technology company, and I needed to conduct an audit. That was the business reason I went, but I knew I was being sent for a greater purpose. As an African-American woman, engineer and mom, I felt so connected to the people I was there to hold accountable, and to their children and neighbors who I saw had nothing! After a week of interacting with locals and seeing the disparity in conditions, I decided I wanted to devote more of my time in service to my family and to others. I was already living with clear priorities of God, family, then career, but this trip made it clear that there was more I could do. So, within a year, I had started my consulting practice using project management to create and manage change in organizations, with a greater focus on the people. I also structured my business with a corporate philanthropy model that allowed me to freely give my time and expertise to the community, non-profits and schools, encouraging my cohorts to do so as well. Giving away as many hours as I billed for wasn’t the makings for business expansion, but I always knew I was walking in my purpose.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Time is not something you have, it’s something you make. And when you’re a mom, a business owner and a philanthropist, it can seem like there’s not enough, no matter how well you plan. As a project manager, I know how to plan for most problems… it’s called risk management. But there was no planning that could be done to prevent life from taking a nose dive. In 2014, I lost my oldest son to cancer (he had battled the disease on and off for 3 years). While processing that devastating loss, the bottom fell out of the oil and gas industry. Suddenly, I had no clients and no prospects… and no energy to look for new ones. But in between the time that I lost my son and the industry came to a halt, I had a renewed desire to tell my story as a speaker and an author. So, I invested my time in writing and speaking so my message of resilience and compassion could be heard in and out of Houston. When I’m not engaging with clients to provide them business solutions, I’m in the community helping youth and young adults overcome their challenges.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with 2Hill Consulting Services – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
2Hill Consulting is unique in that it develops an organization’s people and its processes. As the firm’s principal, I provide change leadership speaking, training, and coaching to a variety of industries and audiences. To solve my clients’ problems, I use a combination of sharp analysis, strategic planning and interpersonal skills development. My passion is to develop people and teams to excel even in the face of adversity. My ideal clients come from the technology sector, but recognize that people and not technology, are both their biggest assets and their biggest challenge. And when that challenge is them personally, I offer personal leadership coaching to help them manage and change them to be the leader of their organization and support their family’s needs. Helping my clients leverage the human capital they have, brings me joy and improves their bottom line! Leading change… the Ms. Engineer Way!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My career started with an appreciation for international business and world cultures. The future continues that legacy of leading change around the world. I will continue speaking, training and coaching with a goal of reaching more people and organizations,] and making a greater world impact. I’m especially passionate about sharing the message of resilience and compassion that culminate in my writing and speaking. People and teams of all sizes benefit from a better use of continuous learning and collaboration and I want to help with that.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11645 S Highway 6, PMB 10
- Website: TheMsEngineerWay.com
- Phone: 8324092838
- Email: Alana@TheMsEngineerWay.com
- Instagram: queen2thehills
- Facebook: http://Facebook.com/TheMsEngineerWay
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/queen2thehills
- Other: LinkedIn.com/in/alanamhill
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
