Meet Mallie Hale UAH's Senior Director of Alumni Relations

Mallie Hale officially joined UAH as Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the Alumni Association in December.

Michael Mercier | UAH

Mallie Hale is a people person who loves "building relationships, discovering people's passions, and finding portals to explore those interests."

The University of Alabama in Huntsville's (UAH) new Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the Alumni Association, knew right away that she wanted to help build upon UAH's strong alumni foundation and history of excellence. "I plan to promote the Alumni Relations Office as a welcoming front door to all those who call UAH their alma mater."

"Mallie brings great experience to UAH with recent work in The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Development Office and The Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) Alumni Office. We are fortunate to have her on our team, and she is off to a fast start in working with our outstanding alumni board members, internal campus contacts, and our alumni," said Robert Lyon, UAH's Vice President for University Advancement.

A native of Tuscaloosa, Hale graduated from Tuscaloosa Academy. After high school she attended BSC and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in Applied Sociology from UAB.

For the past three years, Hale served as a Major Gifts Officer for the Department of Medicine at UAB. In that role, she cultivated relationships and built financial support to benefit the university's educational, research, and patient care programs.

Previously, Hale served as an Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs at BSC. She was responsible for engaging alumni through chapter and affinity group programming, managing volunteers, supporting institutional and alumni priorities through career networking opportunities. Hale's additional responsibilities included student programming, and admissions efforts, and cultivating strong alumni relationships through the planning of Homecoming/Reunion and on-campus traditions.

Some of the more successful programs implemented under Hale's leadership at BSC include building an extensive alumni chapter and affinity group base. "I traveled to our most heavily populated areas and held events - social gatherings, continuing education opportunities, faculty lectures to name a few - in an effort to reunite alumni with their alma mater. We also had a very vibrant annual Homecoming/Reunion and Capping Ceremony where graduates had the opportunity to give a family member, mentor, or significant friend the honor of "capping" them at a ceremony prior to commencement."

At UAH, Hale plans to amplify alumni programming in conjunction with Homecoming activities. "I would also like to build up our chapter and affinity group programming and collaborate more with other university departments. We have a great opportunity to unite priorities in featuring faculty speakers at events, co-hosting alumni nights at with Charger Athletics, bolstering our alumni career mentoring efforts, and engaging alumni more fully in our student recruitment plans," said Hale. "In Addition, I hope to add more resources, volunteer options, partnerships, and networking opportunities that will equip, engage, and empower our alumni and remind them of why UAH is so special."

Hale also plans to spend a lot of time on reunion outreach. "Reunions truly are a great engagement tool, and I would be thrilled to collaborate with alumni and faculty to make Homecoming/Reunion an experience that draws alumni back and promotes Charger pride, loyalty, and unity." Hale said no event is off the table. "I look forward to discussing all possibilities with our faculty and alumni."

The next big event for Alumni Relations is welcoming the university's newest graduates with a special program at the UAH vs. Michigan Tech Hockey Game at the Von Braun Center Arena on Friday, Jan. 27. "We hope alumni in the Huntsville area and beyond will join us to celebrate our expanding Charger Family," Hale said. "Also, Charger Amour is coming up on Friday, Feb. 24. In its second year, the event celebrates Charger Couples and invites them to come back to campus where their relationship started. The Alumni Board is hard at work in making preparations for this event. Hale said this year, the university will add a Mardi Gras spin to the program. All alumni are invited to join the fun and make the event bigger and better than last year.

Looking further down the road Hale plans to build on the UAH alumni experience digitally through social media.

"With limited resources and staff, we need to get creative, work strategically, and arm our volunteers with the knowledge and training to work with us to create an experience that fosters mutual success for both alumni and UAH. Alumni are our allies, ambassadors, and advocates and they want this university to succeed."