HALLEMA IN ACTION

The video below offers a glimpse into the professional life of Hallema Sharif. This video follows her through various business settings, including speaking engagements, strategic consultations, and her involvement in projects both locally and internationally. See Hallema apply her knowledge and skills in real-world situations, showcasing her role as a committed professional in her industry.

INDUSTRY ENDORSEMENTS

“I’ve known Hallema for more than 35 years and have watched her develop her talent which comes from her God-given ability to connect with people. She has a ‘Can do, won't stop until I deliver my best’ attitude and does her work with style and integrity. She’s aggressive while never losing touch with her humanity and delivers effectively in our industry with a unique personal approach.”

Chuck Schaeffer
Retired
Former Executive Producer
CNBC American Greed

“Business is about building and maintaining successful relationships, and Hallema is a natural at it. Her disarming sense of humor immediately puts people at ease--the first step toward building trust and open communication. But she's also a keen listener, a critical client service skill that's equally important when working with the media. If you're looking for someone who knows how to navigate the landscape, Hallema's the one.”

Lidj Lewis
Founder & CEO
The Trip Foundation: Taking Students to a Whole New World

"Hallema Sharif is hands down the best media relations professional I have ever worked with, and I have been fortunate to have worked with many extremely talented individuals over my many years in the public relations industry. I first met Hallema while working at the American Lung Association. As the Director of Communications and Media Relations, Hallema’s extraordinary talent for insightful communication and strategic thinking significantly enhanced our collaborative efforts, ensuring we were always at the forefront of our industry. Hallema’s strategic foresight coupled with her practical execution skills helped ensure that our campaigns were not only successful, but truly inspiring as well. Hallema’s ability to create “magic” transcends well beyond media relations. Hallema has used her unique abilities as an intelligent, talented, and inspiring woman to create a powerful network of individuals across many different industries. Her ability to connect dots that others might miss, and her networking prowess have brought invaluable opportunities and advancements to our projects. Hallema consistently impresses with her collaborative and innovative approach, making her a joy to work with. She's not just a communicator, but a visionary transforming projects and teams."

Elizabeth Hlinko Margulies
Writer, Advocate, and Communications Consultant

“I had the privilege of working with Hallema in her role as Executive Director of Communications at VCUarts Qatar and witnessed first-hand her capacity for weaving together, meaningfully, and impactfully, relevant global and local perspectives, through complex communication strategies. Hallema has a knack for all things marketing and PR, media, and communications, as well as for signature event coordination. Moreover, she does so while bringing both colleagues and constituents together to collaborate constructively towards comprehensive, shared objectives. Despite the complexity of some of the challenges Hallema faced – at times diametrically opposed cultural, political, organizational priorities - Hallema remained resilient throughout, expertly navigating diverse interests and building cooperative connections, all while inspiring others in the process, and ever-positively, professionally, and creatively charging forward to achieve envisioned outcomes. She was and remains a cherished, respected colleague."

Greet Proovost
Assistant,
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Doha Qatar

"One of the most rewarding relationships of my 30+ years in higher education is with Hallema Sharif. We worked together on the leadership team in the Office for Inclusion and Diversity at Virginia Tech. Hallema's intellect and strategic acumen were evident from the start. As we collaborated on diversity and inclusion initiatives, her leadership and understanding of communication dynamics played a pivotal role in our success. She also connected us to other creatives for freelance work, one of whom is now full-time on our team. Beyond her professional capabilities, Hallema's friendship made it a pleasure to work together. In fact, everyone on our team really liked and trusted Hallema! It is a rare person who can elicit such a consistently positive response across all levels of the unit."

(But she likes me best) 😆😁😚🤣

Michele Deramo, Ph. D.
Associate Vice Provost, Diversity Education
Office for Inclusion and Diversity, Virginia Tech