Founder, President, & CEO
Phyllis M. Hill is the Founder and Executive Lead of the Black Southern Women’s Collaborative (BSWC). The BSWC was created to be a soft place to fully belong, without defense or pretense, that honors Black women’s labor, leadership, and brilliance. Since its inception, the BSWC has raised $7 million for organizations led by Black women across the South. Phyllis has coordinated with the BSWC for regional programming, which includes training, communications, digital, political, and fundraising work. This has led to more Southern Black organizing capacity and infrastructure in states that are usually intentionally ignored and forgotten.
In Phyllis’ previous position as the National Organizing Director at Faith in Action, Phyllis built a regional support structure for 45 state and local organizing groups. This included organizer, clergy, and leader training, campaign, and organizational coaching. Phyllis has rooted the national organizing program in developing public faith-based grassroots leadership that changes the narrative about who belongs and drives public campaigns for material change. Additionally, Phyllis helped create the Black Women’s Caucus of Faith in Action, centering Womanist Theology as fundamental as how Black Women can lead with their whole selves.
Before joining Faith in Action National, Phyllis worked for eight years in Minneapolis, MN, as the Lead Organizer for ISAIAH. Her many accomplishments include working with the Minneapolis School Board to place a moratorium on non-violent suspensions in all elementary schools in the district, partnering with Robbinsdale School District to reduce suspension by 80%, and collaborating with the MN Commissioner of Education to place equity in its mission statement. Her proudest moments are working with congregants to address spiritual matters that hinder their leadership, emboldening them to live with purpose, not fear.
Phyllis received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgia Southern University while participating in a study abroad at Oxford University focused on Religious Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in African American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Email Phyllis at phill@powercoalition.org