Bill Hall's Lifelong Commitment to Local Impact

The Hampton Roads region in coastal Virginia and North Carolina is home to the city of Norfolk, renowned shipyards, the largest Naval base in the world, and Booz Allen.

For nearly three decades, this growing location has supported the firm’s global operations with services from the help desk to human resources. But this only scratches the surface of our Norfolk office’s impact.

Outside of the office, you’ll see Booz Allen employees on the beach picking up trash for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, maintaining trails at the state park in Virginia Beach, participating with their families in fundraising walks for the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, and even braving the Polar Plunge each winter for the Special Olympics.

More often than not, you’ll find Lead Associate Bill Hall right in the middle of the action. Bill is a senior training developer with the firm—and Booz Allen’s latest Volunteer of the Year. Read on to find out why and how Booz Allen empowers all employees to give back to their communities.

Bill joined the firm over 17 years ago after an award-winning career as a master training specialist and instructor in the Navy. He also worked as a trainer in the Newport shipyards.  

In the Navy, volunteer opportunities were part of the mission. Bill and his fellow sailors did whatever the community needed and chipped in wherever they could help. “We pulled into the Busan Naval Base in South Korea and were working at an orphanage the next day—building bookcases, painting, fixing the HVAC system,” he remembers. And he made sure such activities were set up for his shipmates when he became an officer himself.

“Community and giving back have been ingrained into me throughout my Navy career,” Bill says. “Doing things like that makes you really proud to be an ambassador for America, and the spirit just stayed with me. So, once I got to Booz Allen, I immediately started looking for volunteer opportunities.” 

The years that followed brought a host of opportunities that Bill seized with unwavering gusto and enthusiasm, from connecting FIRST Robotics competitors with Booz Allen mentors to working with local radio stations on food drives.

“I was able to take the things that I learned when I was in the Navy and put them to work giving back at Booz Allen,” he says.

Through Bill’s long tenure at the firm, he has elevated his passion for volunteerism in the Norfolk office through his words and actions. He has spoken at monthly leadership meetings, headed the partnerships committee of the office’s Workforce Leadership Council, promoted volunteer activities online and through emails, talked with senior leaders about volunteer opportunities throughout the area, and more.

Our Volunteer of the Year award honors an employee who is on the ground pulling groups together to volunteer, going above and beyond. It showcases the best of Booz Allen and how we build community with passionate service.

Booz Allen puts its value of passionate service into action in many ways. Through the Booz Allen Cares digital platform, employees find pre-vetted nonprofit organizations they can support through volunteering, in-kind services, and financial contributions. They also have a place to record the hours they give—more than 56,000 total in FY 2023 alone—along with other contributions.

“You can put in your zip code or city and see if there’s anything available,” Bill says, walking through the platform’s many features. “If you’re interested in financial giving, you can make a one-time donation or a recurring donation out of your paycheck every month.”

These efforts are all purposefully aligned and coordinated for maximum impact. Employee volunteers represent their specific office or employee community on Booz Allen’s centralized Community Engagement Council. They also support other aspects of the firm’s philanthropic ecosystem. For example, the Booz Allen Foundation engages employee volunteers to serve as evaluators, partners, and volunteers for its nonprofit grant recipients.

The firm introduces new hires to volunteering and other philanthropic endeavors from their very first day on the job, Bill explains. “We have a day set aside for onboarding, where, among other things, we talk about our community outreach, noting that employee giving is one area that sparks the most interest.”

“We’re a global company with billions of dollars’ worth of contracts, and we think about what we're doing in local communities as well,” Bill reflects. “I'm really glad to be part of a place that has that kind of mindset.”