Career path detour for MS native

Mississippi native Rhonda Phillips' career path took a detour this week, when she was named president of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa. She had planned early retirement to return to Santee (Miss.), where she grew up, and where she and her brother, Greg Phillips, opened the Beaver Creek Distillery in February. Instead, she was asked to consider applying for the Chatham presidency and ended up landing the post. "It's just like a perfect fit for me," Phillips said. "They have a big 388-acre farm that they do like a lot of training for students and sustainable farming." Dr. Phillips was the unanimous choice of the Board of Trustees based on her commitment to fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments and opportunities, a hallmark of the Chatham undergraduate experience, Board Chair David Hall said in a news release. Chatham University is known for its longtime mission of maintaining an environmentally sustainable campus and education program. Phillips said she hopes in her new role she will be able to develop new partnerships between Chatham University and Mississippi, with its farming history and educational programs, including the University of Southern Mississippi's Marine Research Center. "There will certainly be field trips to Mississippi - from my colleagues and students and others," Phillips said. She hopes her new role will help benefit Mississippi. "It's really a way to help bring some positive attention to South Mississippi and do something to add value to our (agricultural) products," Phillips said of both the university and her home state. She earned a master's degree in economic development and a bachelor's from the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned a second master's degree in economics as well as a Ph.D. in city and regional planning at Georgia Tech. She has held faculty and administrator roles at the University of Florida and USM. She has worked as an economic developer with the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. (Hattiesburg American 04/20/23) MS native Rhonda Phillips named president of Chatham University (clarionledger.com)