Throughout her life, North Shore Towers resident Phyllis Hill Slater has learned that being successful takes a serious commitment. She is now exceeding as a businesswoman and volunteering, showing that she has remained true to that commitment.
Slater grew up in St. Albans. Her parents were the founders of the St. Albans Congressional Church and she had Sunday school in her home.
Following in her father’s footsteps as an electrical engineer, Slater is now president and owner of the company, Hill Slater Inc. It is “a highly successful engineering and architectural support system for the engineering, architectural, and construction management community, professional engineers and architects.”
Slater, a mother of three, has held numerous positions with various professional organizations. She is a former national president and lifetime member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, vice president of Les Femmes Chefs d’Enterprise Mondiales, and the chair of the National Women Business Owners Corporation. Slater is also the chair and co-founder of Black Women Enterprises and the co-founder and executive global chair of the Euro-American Women’s Form.
Other organizations that Slater is affiliated with are the Long Island Small Business Assistance Corporation, Women Economic Developers of Long Island, and Women Economic Developers of Long Island.
Slater is also no stranger to giving back to others and being active in the community. She is involved with Women Impacting Policy, President’s Advisory Board of SUNY Farmingdale, Advisory Board to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, is on the Board of Directors for the Allstate Insurance Company of New York and Intramerica Life Insurance Company, the Institute for Student Achievement, Long Island Association, and Long Island Development Corporation. She is a trustee for the North Shore-LIJ Health System and WLIW - Channel 21 Public Broadcast.
The community involvement that has become a staple of Slater’s life has extended far beyond just her local community. She was a part of the 2000 Bush/Cheney Transition Team and was appointed by President George W. Bush to Secretary Elaine Chao’s 21st Century Workforce Committee.
Some of the factors that Slater said have attributed to her success have been a willingness to take on a leadership role, showing up and participating.
Slater said that there is no elevator to success and that individuals must always take themselves seriously and make the commitment to do what they need to be successful.
“It’s one step at a time,” she said, adding that a person cannot survive “on the back of someone else.”
There is one more important thought that Slater has when it comes to success. She said that people must always cherish the successes that they have.
