Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
President and Executive Director
Philip brings over 35 years of experience and expertise to the mission and operations of the Foundation. His diverse and far ranging background focuses on three distinct arenas; international development, entrepreneurship and agribusiness.
As an entrepreneur, Philip founded and managed several successful businesses; including Book People in Austin, Texas - one of the largest independent bookstores in the country and the largest in Texas; and Multimedia, a business unit of Wholepeople.com. In the international development arena, Philip has managed several international community development projects for the Peace Corps, U.S. Agency for International Development and various non-governmental organizations (NGO's) in Honduras, Paraguay and Afghanistan. As an agribusiness and development specialist, Philip has worked for over seven years with small farmers in Latin America and Central Asia to develop agribusiness alternative crops introduction, crop production marketing and agricultural cooperatives as well as providing technical and business training and expertise to communities and various representatives in the third world agricultural industry. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in both Paraguay and Honduras and has a BBA from Texas Tech University.
Philip is a firm believer in the power of commerce and business to create prosperity and individual dignity. He is conversant in Spanish and can exchange basic pleasantries in both Guarani and Misquito. His vast range of skills, experience and business acumen are a tremendous asset to the mission of the Whole Planet Foundation.
Internal Programs Ambassador
Genie came to Whole Foods Market in Austin in 2002 as a bagger and has worked a myriad of positions from cashier to Store Trainer and most recently was Associate Store Team Leader in San Antonio. Having been a photographer, a personal assistant and the general manager of a small café, she brings a variety of talents to her new job as Internal Programs Ambassador. Genie has moved every two or three years for most of her life. She loves travel and takes every opportunity to be exposed to new cultures. Some of her favorite places are Bogota, Oahu, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Bangkok, Paris, Stuttgart and EARTH University in Costa Rica. She speaks French and basic Spanish. Sharing the mission of Whole Planet Foundation and with our team members and fundraising is a dream job for her.
Development Associate
Hallie serves as the Development Associate for the Foundation. In this role, she supports the Whole Planet Foundation team in communications, partnership development and fundraising programs.
She has extensive travel, study and work experience in Latin America including teaching English to business professionals in Buenos Aires, Argentina and studying at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico. Hallie is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and enjoys learning new languages. Prior to working at Whole Foods, Hallie served as an Assistant Account Executive at a Hispanic Ad Agency. Hallie has a BA in Psychology from Texas A&M University. She enjoys traveling, music, rock climbing and spending time outdoors.
In her role with the Foundation, she uses her writing and language skills to tell the stories of the microentrepreneurs Whole Planet supports through a variety of communication mediums.
Lead Finance & Monitoring Analyst
Evan oversees the Financial Management and Monitoring and Evaluation activities for the Foundation. Evan has been with Whole Foods Market since 2005 working as an IT Auditor.
In his current role, he is utilizing his CPA background to support financial management and reporting for the Foundation, as well as designing and implementing monitoring methodologies and systems for tracking field projects.
Prior to Whole Foods, Evan served as a small business advisor in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, enabling him to become fluent in Spanish and travel extensively in Latin America. While in Ecuador, Evan worked on projects ranging from small business management, community banking, accounting and marketing systems, grant writing and sustainable agriculture.
Evan has a BA in Business and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. He is an avid cyclist, huge music fan and enjoys backpacking and sports in general.
Vice-President of Partnership Development
Donnell oversees communications, marketing, external fundraising and public relations for Whole Planet Foundation. She seeks out strategic alliances that will enable the Foundation to have a broader impact on changing the lives of individuals around the world through microcredit.
Previously, Donnell was with Conservation International (CI) - a global non-profit working in 35 countries - for 9.5 years, where she was a founding staff member for the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) - a $150 million global financing mechanism providing grants in over 35 countries. At the time CEPF was a joint initiative of CI, the GEF, the MacArthur Foundation, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. Donnell was responsible for program management, fundraising/partnership development and spearheading the fund's investment strategy in over 30 countries.
Prior, she worked with the CEO on public relations and fundraising with CI's Board of Directors. She started her career at CI as a microenterprise specialist, providing technical expertise for small businesses and tourism development projects in Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.
Donnell worked for three Texas State Agencies; the Texas Department of Commerce, Texas Historical Commission and Texas Agricultural Extension Service on tourism development, public relations and community development. She implemented a global public relations campaign for the La Salle Shipwreck Project securing over $8 million in free publicity for the project, including feature articles in National Geographic, Smithsonian, CNN, the Today Show, and all major Texas newspapers, among others.
Donnell was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, working with an NGO that manages four protected areas. As a volunteer, she set up a community environmental education program and an international ecotourism program. She has a BS from Texas A&M University, is fluent in Spanish and has worked in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Internal Programs Coordinator
Joy is the Internal Programs Coordinator for Whole Foods Market, connecting team members to the Whole Planet Foundation. Joy started with Whole Foods Market in 2000 as a Store Trainer, bringing with her a passion for empowerment, self responsibility and service. Joy was awarded Global Support All*Star in 2007, National All*Star in 2002, Regional All*Star twice, Team Member of the Year and numerous leadership awards. Joy supported the openings of ten Whole Foods Market stores as Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Trainer, including the flagship location in Austin where she was the Team Member Services Team Leader, and has trained hundreds of Whole Foods Market team members.
In her role as of October 2006, Joy gets to work with Whole Foods Market team members all over the company who are excited to experience the Foundation, become involved in the Whole Foods Market Team Member Volunteer Program and help create prosperity in the communities where Whole Foods Market sources product. Joy loves to be a communicator of microlending, service and Whole Foods Market Core Values.
Joy previously coordinated training programs at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. for 6 years, where she was able to utilize her French fluency and further her Spanish proficiency. Joy spent an undergraduate year in France that sparked an interest in diversity of thought, culture, language, and food. She has a BA from Washington and Lee University.
Field Program Manager
Steve is the Field Program Manager for the Foundation, serving as a liaison for Whole Planet Foundation grant portfolio in the developing world. In his current role, he is also developing initiative wide monitoring tools and metrics to monitor and track operations and impact. He also coordinates special projects in the countries where Whole Planet Foundation is funding.
Steve graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Business and a BA in Spanish, and most recently served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. As a sustainable agriculture and marketing specialist in the Peace Corps, he focused on technical and business training for local farmers. He also developed an accounting system for his host agency's microloan program.
Previously, Steve worked for Unisys Corporation, a Fortune 500 information technology company. His five years with the organization provided a chance to fulfill a series of roles and increased responsibilities, from quality assurance engineer to his final position in business development for one of the largest accounts, Dell Computer Corporation. During his time at Unisys, he focused on developing relationships with new clients, new employees and potential vendors that would maximize value for the company.
Steve is an avid rugby player and fluent Spanish speaker.
