Suzyne Kendall Hall has played a pivotal role in the growth of RAAA over twenty+ years of service. Incorporated in 2006, she is one of five co-founders of RAAA, Inc. As one of the most tenured and dedicated RAAA volunteers, she has worked tirelessly to help build and nurture many facets of the RAAA community. She has worn many hats over the years to include newsletter editor, concessions coordinator, Membership Chair, Treasurer, VP and President. A portion of her tenure as President was spent leading the organization from California, traveling back and forth to NJ for major events and milestones. In February 2022, she stepped down as President of the great RAAA, Inc.
Under her leadership, the RAAA brand expanded its footprint across the three campuses of Rutgers University and beyond. She considers her most impactful contributions to include setting in motion the mandate that the organization take a more visible and participatory role in university sponsored activities along with regular submissions to university acknowledgment programs as a means to further highlight the contributions of our community. This concerted effort was further expanded to include participation in alumni weekend/Rutgers Day as well as the initiation of an endowed scholarship which would later be used as the base for the RAAA Rites of Passage scholarship. Leading RAAA’s effort to support the Class of 1971 Milestone Committee; lastly, leading guided discussions and working the RUAA, under the leadership of Josh Harraman, to cultivate of more impactful, authentic, and collaborative relationship to further enhance the alumni experience and the notion of inclusivity.
RAAA’s philanthropic profile was elevated when she led RAAA’s efforts to assist the Class of 1971 Milestone Committee to build the Paul Robeson Plaza as well as RAAA’s participation in the annual Rutgers University Giving day initiative. The RAAA PRP campaign was one of the most successful Rutgers University crowdfunding campaigns ever! Now moving to its third year, RAAA, Inc. is associated with the Black Alumni Collective as a Partner School making it the only alumni organization in the Big10 and in the Northeast. Prior to her departure, she orchestrated the roadmap for the RUAA and RAAA to co-host the 2024 Black Alumni Collective conference at Rutgers University. Driven by her passionate care and leadership, the annual Hall of Fame Ceremony is now considered one of the premier alumni recognition programs. She served as its chair from 2008-2021 and she was the driving force moving the celebratory event from the Busch Campus to its semi-permanent location at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 2017, with support from the Chancellor’s Office, RAAA hosted its 16th Hall of Fame at the Great Hall on the Newark campus. Closing out her tenure as chair, the 2021 HOF experienced both record attendance and sponsorship support in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
In 2015, Kendall was bestowed the RAA Loyal Sons and Daughters award which honors individuals who have made a significant contribution of service to our alma mater. The RAAA organization recognized her contributions in 2017 when she was awarded the RAAA Keepers of the Legacy award. In 2021, she was made an honorary member of the Class of 1971 in recognition for her efforts to help build the Paul Robeson Plaza.
She previously served as a Trustee and Secretary for the Global Literacy Project representing the organization in both Haiti and South Africa. She co-led the effort to create the Wilbur C. Hall Memorial Library at First Baptist Church in South Bound Brook. She led the Chubb (Legacy) Women of Color Leadership Book Club’s efforts to completely transform the library at Lincoln Elementary School, a public school located in Newark, New Jersey.
She is married to her college sweetheart, Hugh B. Hall (Rutgers College 1987). They have two adult sons, James (Cassandra Lock) and Jordan Hall along with grandchildren, Eden and Judah Hall. She is forever grateful to her husband, her children, her mother, the late Karen Jones and her sisters, Billie Kaye Jones, in particular, for stepping up and in, when and wherever needed.