Phil grew up in a working class family in Stone Mountain, GA, the son of immigrants. As soon as he was old enough, Phil began working at Waffle House and Best Buy to help support his single mother and family. Phil attended Duke University and, after working at Citigroup to pay off college loans, Phil left to serve his country in the United States Peace Corps. After three years, Phil returned to the U.S. to study at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and organize in the Mississippi Delta.
Upon graduation, he moved back to Atlanta to put the things he had learned into practice at home. Phil was a Director at WorkSource Atlanta, helping job seekers receive skills training and support to increase employability and access career paths. As Executive Director of Next Generation Men & Women, Phil has grown a 50-student non-profit into one that serves almost 350 students across four Atlanta high schools and partners with 70 local colleges and companies to create exposure and mentorship opportunities for our young people. As President of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, Phil has led community initiatives that secured 16 neighborhood security cameras, completed a multi-park project, and passed City legislation to limit development impacts on residents — legacy and new.