We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Vanessa G. Hall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Vanessa G., thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Risks are the calculated chances we take in life that either advance our attempts or quickly teach us valuable lessons that may temporarily set us back but can also be a vessel to prepare us for our NEXT! One risk that I took early in life taught me a lesson to last a lifetime. My younger brother would win raffles and drawings all the time. There was a raffle at the local grocery store for the Dr. Pepper Go Cart and wouldn’t you know it he won! Talking about having to put your money where your mouth is.. now I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I was not very experienced in riding motorcyles and had been slightly introduced to the operations of the brake and the gas. Well I mounted the motorcycle and everything started off pretty smooth until I accidentally applied the brake pressure to the gas handle and then panicked and applied pressure to both handles so I was applying brakes while hitting the gas. I think we all know what happens next. The bike through me off of it and I landed a few feet from the bike. It was a blessing that I did not experience major injuries and only had a few bumps and scrapes and my feelings were more hurt than my body. Although this risk did not result in a successful journey, it did teach me that bumps and bruises are painful but they also encourage reflection on how to get it right. I quickly went to class and learned more about riding a motorcycle, safety measures, and safety attire. I did promise myself I would ride the motorcycle again and conquer my fear. After classes and careful preparation, I set up time with my brother to ride the motorcycle again to conquer my fear. After preparation and a deeper understanding of riding a motorcycle, I conquered the ride in style. The lesson I learned from this experience that I have taken with me even to this day is to always study and learn before attempting something new, Listening and learning are critical to each move we make. Always understand the safety precautions, and minimize risk in all we do and, If by some reason after total preparation, we fail or have disappointments, tend to our bruises and eventually get back up and prepare the way to try again. Risks are designed to take us into new dimensions of learning and growth and minimizing negative impact is always a great idea before moving forward.
Dr. Vanessa G., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Dr. Vanessa Gipson Hall, Founder and CEO of CrossRoads IT Group, servant leader, authentic advocate, and dedicated coach for equity in STEM and business ownership for the underrepresented. We not only offer STEM and Leadership programs that provide authentic spaces to thrive and develop talent-ready pipelines for STEM and entrepreneurship but are trusted technology partners providing leadership coaching and training, Cloud Security, AI Compliance, organization transformation consultation, and technology staffing for Program and Project Managers.
Who is the Founder and CEO of CrossRoads IT Group? The response has truly been shaped by the introspection of where “I AM FROM”!
I AM FROM Lake Providence, Louisiana A small rural community that a 2013 CNN article described as the most unequal place in America. I am from a family of nine with parents who were educators, farmers, and small business owners who despite limited resources taught us that hard work, humility, and a quality education were the keys to the doors we desire to open. I am from being among the 4% of African American females in technology navigating through some testy and discriminatory events and places, But God… He always paved the way by providing an advocate- I called it a ram in the bush when least expected.
I AM FROM being told that Lake Providence, La., and attending an HBCU (Southern University Baton Rouge, La.), that I did not have the resources to prepare me for a career in engineering and technology, completing an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and a doctorate in Information Technology. The path provided the foundation to experience a 30+ year technology career that allowed me to travel to India, Europe, and around the US developing and managing conversions, and leading technology installations for major financial institutions, Strategic Portfolio Director Enterprise Technology and Security, and ultimately landing as the Founder and CEO of CrossRoads IT Group.
I AM FROM volunteering, giving, sacrificing in my community, and serving on several boards to advocating for the underrepresented in STEM and women-owned businesses.
I AM FROM a testy divorce to finding my soulmate a year later where we share two beautiful children, an awesome daughter in love, and five adorable grandchildren. An unexpected encounter truly provided a blessed family foundation of over 30 years. I have learned the worst events in life often lead to the biggest blessing and the brightest light.
My professional and personal successes, failures, opportunities, and missteps were each critical and necessary conduits to help me understand my truth and go from purpose to passion with POWER.
Every experience, whether on the mountain-top or in the valley provided me with the tools and strategies to position myself to continue to pave the way for others. I am empowered to create a forward narrative for professional growth, business strategy, understanding my personal and professional boundaries, and “giving myself permission” to focus on aligning my professional and personal life.
One of the greatest things I have learned along the journey is to keep my true core of humility in all that I do and to find balance… the definition of balance – to keep or put something in a steady position so that it does not fall. When you reach this place of BALANCE; it is as refreshing as a cleansing rain on a hot summer day.
Authentic community and networks continue to be a priority along my journey. My professional and personal network, encamped around me, are necessary sounding boards. They encourage me along my journey and keep me accountable. My best friend refers to this network as, “The Personal Board of Directors”. Everyone needs a trusted group they can call their board of directors.
I often depict my journey as mind-blowing… from the Cotton Fields of the South, to HBCU graduate, to Corporate, to Published Author, to the Board Room, to Technology Executive Leadership, to Corporate Lear Jet travel, to Harvey Ivy League FinTech Certification, leading organizational transformation and optimally landing in purpose and passion as Founder and CEO of CrossRoads IT Group. When I think of how each part of my journey prepared me to lead CrossRoads IT Group, it can become emotional as I clearly in hindsight see the supernatural intervention and provisions every step of the way. I see the powerful impact of having a strong foundation in my faith, family, and community and how each experience whether success or failure, strategically shaped me into a high-achieving transformational, and empathetic leader. It is in the place of challenge that character and strength are built.
Who are we are CrossRoads IT Group you might ask? CrossRoads IT Group is a Certified Woman-owned small business focused on Technology consulting, STEM Coaching & Programs to bridge the STEM Equity gap in the workplace, Professional Services & Staffing concentration Program and Project Management, Organizational Transformation, AI Compliance, and Cloud Disaster Recovery Services. Our consultation services focus on People – Process – Productivity. We provide authentic thought leadership and life-impactful coaching, STEM and technical training workshops, career coaching, organization transformation consultation, technology consulting, and oversight to Corporate and government entities.
CrossRoads IT Group is honored to have developed our STEM UP for EQUITY Program where content is available from Early Childhood Development to the Early Career Stage. We serve the entire human being and contribute to building a STEM READY diverse pipeline of talent for the United States and beyond. It is rewarding to have the experience where platforms developed provide tangible ecosystems and allow us to build others while building ourselves. Our team consists of dedicated technology professionals offering an extremely expert level of professionalism in skillsets and expertise. We deliver with a spirit of excellence to our clients with agility and excellence. We treat each engagement no matter the size with respect, integrity, and customer focus. Whether providing coaching, leadership training, organizational transformation consultation, AI Compliance, Cloud Security, or facilitating and deploying a major program for the organization, we deliver with clarity and care.
The reciprocation of the programs and services we offer at CrossRoads IT Group is powerful. One evolution through having a powerful sounding board and results-driven focus was the development of the new hashtags #STEMUPforEQUITY, #strongstemgirls, #theITDoctor, #AICompliance, and #knockitoff. Our upcoming evolutionary program Knock it Off is a joint venture with several powerful Coaching organizations launching 4th Quarter 2024 globally. It is a platform to provide a safe space and an information database for Professional Women (career and entrepreneur-focused) especially underrepresented women to experience the benefits of a safe community, leadership development, and tangible support.
My passion for the underrepresented provides the inner strength to continue my global work as a Coralus Activator advocating and mentoring women-owned businesses to create the spaces we want to see and conquer the world’s to-do list. Because of my commitment to STEM, technology, and business development, I have been featured as a Guest Speaker at DASAConnect, OHUG, BOSS/ROSS Leadership, and also published articles in magazines such as Impact Magazine and Insights for Women Business Magazine to bring awareness to the impact of equity in STEM fields, the evolution of technology and AI, and how we can make an equitable difference in the space for women seeking to become STEM professionals or an entrepreneur. I also boldly landed a radio TV interview out of Australia where I reached thousands internationally and shared the vision of our STEM UP for EQUITY program and technology offerings. Technology, Equity, Empathy, and authentic support represent our passion and purpose. Our primary goal with every client or individual that encounters CrossRoads IT Group is to meet their need and provide a life and perspective-positive changing experience.
Listen to an audio recording of a CrossRoads IT Group Mentee who had an encounter with CrossRoads IT Group:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pxAn9pRpeXdiK4n1lGgfmv2LeKYWOZZw/view?usp=sharing
The exercise of introspection, (I AM FROM), was freeing emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It is the very thing that allowed me to arrive at an optimal place of peace and is where I discovered the keys to balance between work, family, volunteering, mentoring, and coaching while continuing to make a positive impact across each horizontal. There is no better feeling than each aspect of my being and value system aligning; priceless; the stuff money can not buy. I truly mean it when I say God keeps proving himself over and over and over again.
I am embracing my past while appreciating how it has shaped my today, and anticipating, with great expectation, the future with humility. C .S. Lewis states, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less”. The authentic look within revealed the past I used to be ashamed of being from; the most unequal place in America; the very thing that sculpted me into a spirit having the inner strength to, sometimes be broken but never defeated and the compassion to never stop sowing into others and seeking to leave each space I occupy better than when I arrived.
I am forever grateful for the peaks and the valleys that challenged me to look retrospectively, awakening the boldness resting within, and walking into my purpose with passion, grace, and strength. Yes, trauma and challenges experienced personally or in the corporate setting truly awakened the essence in me and created the magnitude of energy necessary to continue the work within the disenfranchised communities in Dallas and beyond, finding that little girl, who 30 years ago was me; different but smart and desperately wanting the opportunity to be the best version of herself.
I am truly grateful for the power of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, my past, my family, my community, my personal board of directors, every blessing, and every blessing disguised as a setback… for I truly realize and embrace the fact that without EACH experience (good and bad) I would not be who I am today.
My “I am from” shaped “Who I Am” so never be ashamed or resist the truth of “where you are from” but desperately seek to frame and define the path for “where you are going”.
Who am I? I am Psalm 1: 3 “That person is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers”.
God is Faithful and I am humbled to be on this journey called life with his love and spirit in my heart. I am living IN and ON Purpose! Operating as Founder and CEO of CrossRoads IT Group wakes me up each morning excited about our great team, the great people we will encounter, the unimaginable places we will experience, and the indescribable professional and business clients we will make whole.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Reputation is earned and building it requires expert knowledge, performance, trust, and accountability. These authentic actions have been pivotal in building my reputation within the market. I am a servant leader who is available to support and coach in STEM for the school system and the community. Delivery quality technology services to my clients and proving myself to be dependable are critical components for reputation building. After years of experience, academia, authentic service, building trust, and practicing an age-old strategy “my word is my bond” has afforded me the ability to be present in some places I never thought I would sit. The key to building a trusted reputation is the provide the thing we want to build within our market “Trust”. My favorite theory and the model for CrossRoads IT Group is “The Speed of Trust by Covey”. Trust, accountability and care have served our organization well in building a trusted reputation in the STEM and Technology community.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Resilience and versatility are key elements in the field of technology. The ability to pivot is critical to the continued success in the field. The most impactful pivot I ever experienced was in the year 2001 when my mother was unexpectedly diagnosed with brain cancer. Although my leadership in the technology retail space was super supportive and allowed the time I needed to grieve and deal with the pressure of suddenly transitioning to full-time caretaker until she transitioned, the need to prioritize family was truly evident at this time. My daughter who was very close to my mother was only 11 years old and my husband was in the center of maximum growth of this Photography Business. I began to pray over the next steps as I understood the current demands of my role and understood this was the season where I needed to be present as we began to adapt to our new normal. I was approached by a friend who had retooled herself in technology with a focus on Banking and invited me to interview for the option to join one of the largest financial institutions in the US and learn a new banking software. Due to the timing and training period, the pace would not be as aggressive as my current role and there would be no travel for months. I accepted the invitation and landed the role at the financial institution. I devoted time to learning the financial banking software and quickly became a Subject Matter Expert (SME). This expert knowledge positioned me to be sought out across the financial industry in the domestic and global space. This pivot was divine intervention because it set the foundation for my trajectory in the technology financial space for 21+ years. Perseverance and resilience are not only the keys to finding purpose and passion in our careers and business desires but are also the keys to overcoming in life.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://crossroadsinformationtechnology.fedgovadv.info/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/crossroadsitg/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-vanessa-g-hall
- Twitter: @crossroadsitg
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/tPqzjqTfiE8
- Other: https://impactmagazine.medium.com/dr-vanessa-g-hall-c6e674ed8b73
Image Credits
Introspect Photography & Video