Charles Phillips Charitable Ventures

Charity is good for the soul. Charles Phillips Charitable is an organization that has a lot to offer many families in the form of financial aid. The financial aid the non-profit foundation offers goes to single parents, wounded veterans, and students pursuing engineering careers.

Of course, it’s not just that the charitable organization, started by Charles and Karen Phillips, does good deeds. It’s about the specific deeds it does and the families, soldiers, and students it helps.

Who is Charles Phillips?

Charles Phillips is the CEO of Infor, the number three company in the world when it comes to enterprise software applications. He is also a Member of the Board for Infor. Along with the Phillips Charitable Organization, Charles is also associated with the United States Air Force Academy Endowment.

Previously, Phillips has been employed by Oracle Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and Kidder Peabody. He also served in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. He later attended Hampton University where he earned his MBA in finance before moving on to New York Law School. He was a member of the Georgia State Bar from 1990-1993.

Other philanthropic endeavors Phillips likes to contribute to include a seat on the Board of Directors for the American Museum of Natural History, Board of Directors for Viacom, and Board of Directors for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

He is also on the Board of Directors for the following organizations:

·         New York City Public Library

·         The NYPD Foundation

·         Apollo Theater

·         BENS (Business Executives for National Security)

·         The Posse Foundation

Other roles he has served include the Council on Foreign Relations and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. With all of his philanthropic ventures, Phillips dedicates himself to the causes giving time, money, and attention.

Phillips in Business

Phillips was a pioneer in adopting cloud technology. Today, Infor has more than 58 million people using the cloud for their business needs. He also had the foresight to create an internal creative agency at a time when no other business applications companies were doing so. That agency is now one of the largest in New York and focuses its full resources on user experience design, co-innovations, and hackathons.

Before Infor, there was Oracle Corporation where Phillips served as President and a Member of the Board of Directors. His tenure at Oracle lasted seven years. During this time, the organization tripled in size and made many acquisitions – including 70 companies.

Charles Phillips Charitable

But Charles Phillips Charitable is his first love when it comes to philanthropy. It’s the one that bears not only his name, but also his wife’s name. His own childhood as well as his own service in the military have shaped his dedication to the men and women who have served in our armed forces making it one of the foundations of his charity work. He is also committed to helping single mothers and disadvantaged engineering students. These are the stories of a few of the people his foundation has helped.

Heidi Dunphy

A victim of domestic violence, Ms. Dunphy was feeling the weight of the world as she attempted to make ends meet while raising her young family. Her part-time job was insufficient to meet the needs of her family and keep a roof over their heads while searching for a full-time position that would provide her with the means to take care of them all. The financial aid provided by Phillips Charitable Organization will help her keep the family afloat without losing their home or car, during her pursuit of a better life.

Jamel Johnson-Brookins

A senior at Mercer University, Jamel Johnson-Brookins needed assistance in order to continue his studies. During his time at Mercer family emergencies that included his single mother having a heart attack and his younger brother requiring open heart surgery. Jamel was using his income to help support his mother and younger brother while carrying a full load in biomedical engineering. He had nothing left over to pay for his studies. Karen and Charles, through their charitable organization provided a grant so that Jamel would not be forced to drop out of school.

There are hundreds of stories like this, about people who have been helped through PCO financial assistance that would not have been as happy without the aid of this organization.

It says a lot about a person who has risen to the top of his industry from somewhat humble beginnings to create the number three company, in the world, in any industry, who still takes the time to give so selflessly.

Karen and Charles Phillips have much to be proud of in their charitable efforts, their work ethics, and the success they’ve created along the way. Beyond that, they’ve created a company culture that puts people before profits and the profits seem to follow.