Though Singleton McAllister is an attorney by trade, her work extends far beyond the legal sector. One of her passions throughout her career has been her work on boards, where she’s made an impact on a large variety of organizations.
“I’ve spent many years on corporate and nonprofit boards, and I love that work,” McAllister said. “ I’ve done a lot of things in my career, and I’ve enjoyed them all, but this work is some of the most meaningful for me.”
McAllister currently serves as Of Counsel at Husch Blackwell, and has held a number of prestigious positions in the legal sector, including Senior Counsel for the House Budget Committee and General Counsel for USAID. In the latter role, she served as the chief attorney for over 72 missions around the world. She spent much of her time supporting international women’s and children’s programs, causes that remain near and dear to her heart.
“The womens’ programs showed me that women have been the backbone of most civil societies that I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and their stories have not been told in so many ways,” McAllister explained. The experience has continued to inform her current work, particularly with the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM). In her current role as Vice Chair of the museum’s Board of Directors, one of her goals is to amplify lesser known and undertold stories in American history.
In one of her latest endeavors with the museum, McAllister helped to create We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, an exhibit that was on display at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC, March 30, 2023 -September 29, 2024. The exhibition focused on the stories and voices of Black feminist organizers and theorists whose expansive work made a difference in the lives of Black women in their Washington, DC communities and for all people throughout the United States. While she knew how powerful this exhibition would be, McAllister didn’t realize the extent to which it would also be groundbreaking.
“When we opened the exhibit, to my surprise – though it shouldn’t have been – I learned that this is the first time in history that there has ever been an exhibit that has covered this particular topic so extensively and explored the magnitude of these women’s contributions in this way,” she explained.
McAllister has found it inspiring how many people have been able to learn about this crucial history, many for the first time. “I’ve talked to several people who didn’t know, prior to experiencing this exhibition, the extent to which our foremothers worked to challenge intersectional oppression, and the way that African American women were truly on the frontlines of liberation.”
McAllister emphasized, it’s important to highlight the role Black women have played and continue to play in civic engagement. “I think this is very timely, responsible, and necessary,” she said. “We see what’s happening now in the Black community, the work being led by our civil society and other groups. African American women today are huge leaders in the community, and to be able to connect the dots to the historical work that they have done is so important. I want my granddaughters, nieces, and others to be able to recognize the value of their foremothers’ work.”
Celebrating the contributions of the Black community has always been a throughline in McAllister’s work. On top of her nonprofit Board work, she is the co-chair of the Executive Leadership Council’s Corporate Diversity Navigators Program, which aims to increase the number of Black executives on corporate boards. This year, she will be helping to host the organization’s Black Economic Forum. McAllister hopes that she can provide some of her expertise to help Black executives make a positive impact on their communities.
“Having worked in government, law, and corporate, I’ve taken my skill sets and tried to be a thought leader in all of those areas,” she said. “I’ve learned that when we are combining our skills and working together, we can be unstoppable. We can be better people, a better planet, and create a better future.”
