Phyllis Hill Slater, remembered as LI’s leading small business executive by Newsday in 1996, passed away on May 3 at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset at the age of 80. Her impact on Long Island and the broader business community remains undeniable.

A Champion for Women in Business

hill Slater’s influence extended across numerous organizations and initiatives. As the owner of Hill Slater Inc., an engineering and architectural firm based in Grate neck, she concurrently held leadership positions in several prominent groups:

• President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), after co-founding its Long Island chapter.
• Chair of the Long Island Growth Corp.
• Chair of the New York State association of Black Women Owned Enterprises.
• Board member or officer of organizations including the Long Island Museum of Science and Technology, northwell Health, SUNY Stony Brook Foundation, and Women Economic Developers of Long Island.

Advocacy on a National Stage

Hill Slater’s advocacy reached the highest levels of government. Starting with President Jimmy Carter, she worked with multiple U.S. presidents, serving as a delegate to the white house Conference on Small Business. She testified at House and Senate hearings, advocating for policies that supported small businesses. She also spoke nationwide on behalf of the Republican National Committee and other groups.

Her efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. This landmark legislation aimed to create a more level playing field for female entrepreneurs.

Global Impact and Personal Compassion

Her dedication extended beyond business, touching lives around the world. Loula Loi Alafoyiannis,founder of the Euro American Women’s Council,recalled their meeting at the White House 28 years prior. Hill Slater later became the global chair of the council. I met Phyllis at the White House 28 years ago, Alafoyiannis said.

Their travels together focused on fostering international opportunities for women’s businesses and supporting personal causes. We helped a lot of women with breast cancer,as I had breast cancer and she did,too, Alafoyiannis explained.And helping children was her passion. We brought children with cancer from Greece to the United States for treatment in American hospitals.

A Grounded Leader

Colleagues remember Hill Slater for her practical wisdom and down-to-earth nature. Esther Fortunoff-Greene, of the Fortunoff jewelry family, met Hill Slater around 1990.She was very down-to-earth and had good common sense about things, Fortunoff-Greene said. At the time, they were among the only females on the board of the Long Island Association. Fortunoff-greene added, She was the head of its Small Business Committee, and we were both women who were civically engaged with Long Island businesses and activities and women’s issues.

A Devoted Mother and Grandmother

Despite her extensive professional commitments, Hill Slater remained deeply involved in her family’s lives. Her daughter, Gina Slater Parker, emphasized that her mother’s accomplishments never overshadowed her role as a parent. She was always ther for my sisters and me, Slater Parker said. She was a class mother. She was a volunteer for Girl Scouts, an escort on class trips. She took us to swimming lessons – we all learned to swim on Bar Beach on the North Shore.

Granddaughter Amber Ashley Parker described Hill Slater as another parent to me. As the matriarch of what Parker called a multigenerational household, Hill Slater ensured her grandchildren received a quality education, including attendance at private schools such as Buckley Country Day School in Roslyn and Friends Academy in Locust Valley.

Early Life and career

Born on Oct. 16, 1944, in Queens, hill Slater was the second of five children. Her father, Philbert D. Hill, was a World War II Army veteran and professional engineer who co-founded Hills, Jenkins, Gaudy Associates. Her mother, Yvonne Antoinette Redding Hill, was a part-time teacher. Phyllis Hill attended Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights,queens. In 1963, she married Gordon Haskell Slater, with whom she had three daughters. The marriage ended in the mid-1970s.

Hill Slater joined the family business,which evolved into Hill Slater Inc. after her father’s death in 1984. Her daughter noted the challenges Hill Slater faced as a Black woman in business: For Black women it’s a double whammy,because they’re dealing with systemic racism in banking and lack of equal access to procurement opportunities. And that’s something Mother worked on with [then] Gov. Mario Cuomo, who established the Office (now Division) of Minority and Women’s Business Development in 1988.

Survivors and Services

Hill Slater is survived by her daughter Gina Slater Parker, of the North Fork; her daughter Tanya Slater Lowe, of Maryland; two siblings; three grandchildren, including Amber Ashley Parker; and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by two siblings, her daughter Lisa Slater Williams, and a grandson.

Visitation was held May 12 at Donohue Cecere Funeral Directors in Westbury. A private festivity of life took place at Westbury Manor on May 13, followed by burial at the Westbury Friends Cemetery.