Scientist by training, lender by discipline, owner by temperament. Three decades across conservation, academia, and mission-driven finance inform how Brooklyn Woods LLC deploys its capital.
Philip’s path into stewardship began early: as a fourth-grader in Kenya, he witnessed the historic 1989 burning of poached ivory — a national declaration that some assets are worth more destroyed than traded. Years later, as a university freshman, he stood with Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement at Karura Forest, protesting the illegal sale of protected land. Those two moments set a career-long thesis: the health of ecosystems and the value of enterprise are inseparable.
That thesis carried him through doctoral research at The Ohio State University, humanitarian policy work at the United Nations, and a tenured professorship at Johnson C. Smith University, where he founded the Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainability. It took him to Self-Help Credit Union & Ventures Fund — one of the nation’s leading community development lenders — where he led national food systems financing, and then to Charlotte Center City Partners, where as Senior Vice President he guided community development, public-private investment, and public safety strategy for Charlotte’s urban core, alongside NSF-funded work applying ethical AI to community safety and urban planning.
Brooklyn Woods LLC is the private continuation of that work: family capital, invested with the same underwriting rigor and the same long ledger.
Senior Vice President, Public Safety & Chief Government Relations Officer. Led public safety strategy, relationships across local, state, and federal government, and sustainability initiatives for Charlotte’s urban core.
Senior Vice President, Community Development. Shaped the built environment and guided public-private investment — district planning, budget oversight, and economic development strategies advancing equity, mobility, and livability in Center City.
Food Systems Financing Sector Leader. Led a national healthy food systems finance strategy supporting entrepreneurs across the food value chain — building internal expertise, data tools, and market-driven lending solutions.
Associate Professor (tenured 2019); Founding Director, Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainability — secured funding, built the curriculum, delivered infrastructure projects in Haiti and Charlotte, and led university-wide sustainability initiatives.
Gender Policy Intern, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, supporting the development of humanitarian policy.