Sandra Hill: A Multi-Talented Bookkeeper

When The Museum of Teaching and Learning decided to move to its new location in Fullerton, several other things changed at the same time. One of them was that administrative tasks that were handled by Norma Ames for many years were taken over by two new contract workers. Anna Emerald is now in charge of on-site management, and Sandra Hill oversees the nonprofit’s bookkeeping. Read onward to learn about an amazing addition to the MOTAL team. 

Sandra Davis Hill was raised in South Los Angeles until age 14. She is the eldest of three children in a family that valued education highly. Sandra attended Cimarron Elementary School in Hawthorne. Her father wanted her to be an engineer and she thought she might follow her father’s career path as an electronic engineer. Sandra admits that she did not have an aptitude for mathematics early on. Her dad made her work on math problems during summer breaks throughout her elementary school years. In their household, “going to the table” meant doing homework and getting help from a parent at the kitchen table. Not having a college education was not an option in her family.

When her family moved to Cerritos, Sandra attended Gahr High School. Sandra was a good student and took courses at Cerritos College while she was still a Gahr. She recalls that moving from LA to Cerritos posed a big academic shift. The educational requirements were more demanding in Cerritos. When Sandra reflects back to those times, she feels her high school years were good for her and she still keeps in touch with her high school friends.

Sandra went on to attend CSUF where she eventually switched career tracks and studied Computer Science. She obtained a B.A. in Computer Science while her mother studied Information Systems in college and worked as a programmer at the Gas Company. 

While at CSUF, Sandra met her husband, Ronan Hill, who sings in a barber shop group. He has been in a choir that has won two gold medals. Sandra admits that while she loves music, she has a “shower voice," but is happy to accompany her husband on singing engagements throughout the country.

After graduation, she worked in IT for 15 years at various companies within the manufacturing sector. This provided Sandra with a multi-faceted background in customer service, manufacturing, IT and accounting. After a job layoff in the IT field, she became a Real Estate Appraiser for 5 years until the housing market crash in 2008. She then began to work with her sister, Kat Davis, in Accounting and began to offer her services as a bookkeeper to local businesses and nonprofits.

Sandra enjoys working as a bookkeeper because she can give people a clear picture of where we they are. She enjoys meeting weekly with the MOTAL Board to stay on top of things and find ways to strengthen the organization’s financial position.

Sandra Hill and Treasurer, Mary Deming, work closely to balance the books.

Sandra acknowledges that while she knows procedure and computer programs, she loves serving people. She feels that she has a call for ministry. She is an ordained pastor who has a heart and passion for teaching Biblical principles. Additionally, Sandra likes to travel and read literature related to the ideas and messages of her ministry.

In this season of her life, Sandra is building a few businesses including one called The Book Shepherds, a 4-week series that helps people focus to write their stories in a book. She teaches on a range of subjects from the importance of leaving a legacy to editing practices. She and her sister, Kat, also manage Keep Track Global Community Development Corporation, a 501c3 organization that provides affordable housing. They would like to work with senior citizens and other audiences as they expand. You can find out more about Sandra's projects on her website, https://sandrahillceo.com.