Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
President and Executive Director
Philip is the President and Executive Director of Whole Planet Foundation, overseeing operations, programmatic direction and financial management. Philip brings 38 years of expertise and experience to the mission and operations of the Foundation. His diverse and far ranging background focuses on three distinct arenas; international development, entrepreneurship and agribusiness in developing countries.
As an entrepreneur in Austin, Texas, Philip founded Book People – one of the largest independent bookstores in the country, which he owned and managed for 20 years. He continues to serve on the Book People board. Philip was also the director of Multimedia, a business unit of Wholepeople.com. In the international development arena, Philip managed community development projects for the Peace Corps, USAID, US State Department and various non-governmental organizations (NGO's) in both Latin America and Afghanistan. As an agribusiness specialist, Philip worked for seven years with small subsistence farmers in Latin America and Central Asia to develop alternative crop introduction, agricultural marketing and agricultural cooperatives.
He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras where he worked with the Misquito Indians for three years on the Patuca River in La Mosquitia, and in Paraguay for four years helping to start agricultural cooperatives. Philip has a BBA from Texas Tech University, is conversant in Spanish and can exchange basic pleasantries in Guarani and Misquito. Philip is a firm believer in the power of free markets, honest yet limited government and “conscious capitalism” to create prosperity and individual dignity.
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 with our team members and fundraising is a dream job for her.
Africa Field Program Manager
Brian was hired as the Africa Field Program Manager in 2010 to manage growing Whole Planet Foundation support in Africa, he is providing additional oversight to current partners and expanding Whole Planet Foundation’s work across the continent with new dynamic microfinance institutions.
Brian’s first experience with Africa was building trade linkages in the private sector between businesses in West Africa and Illinois under a program funded by the Illinois state legislature in 1999, and he has been interested in finding better ways of linking the U.S. private and non-profit sectors with strong counterparts in Africa ever since.
He first travelled to the continent in 2000 as a Water and Sanitation volunteer with the Peace Corps in Mauritania (West Africa), and then moved his way into managing small grants and contracts to local partners for U.S. organizations working on the continent. To date, he has been fortunate to have worked closely with hundreds of different local NGOs and businesses in countries as diverse as the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tunisia, and others.
Having spent six of the last ten years living in Africa, he most loves the openness and generosity of the communities he has lived and worked in, and never ceases to be amazed by the diversity of cultures and geography of the continent.
Latin American Field Program Manager
Evan is the Latin American Field Program Manager for the Foundation and is responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation of the existing projects as well as overseeing the expansion into new communities throughout the region. Evan has been with Whole Foods Market since 2005 and has a diverse background in accounting, IT, and international development.
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.
In his current role, he is able to utilize his knowledge of Latin American culture, his passion for microfinance along with his CPA background to effectively manage a growing number of projects. 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.
Director of Partnership Development and Internal Programs
Joy develops strategic partnerships, fundraises for microcredit, and connects Whole Foods Market shoppers, suppliers and team members to Whole Planet Foundation. She started with Whole Foods Market in 2000 and has been awarded All*Star five times, Team Member of the Year and numerous leadership awards. Joy supported the openings of ten stores as Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Trainer, including the flagship location in Austin where she served as Team Member Services Team Leader, and has trained thousands of Whole Foods Market team members.
Since October 2006, Joy has been engaging Whole Foods Market team members in the U.S., U.K. and Canada who are excited to experience Whole Planet Foundation, participate in the Team Member Volunteer Program, and create prosperity in communities where Whole Foods Market sources product. Visits to microlending projects in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, East Timor, Costa Rica and Guatemala enable her to share microcredit client success stories.
Previously, Joy coordinated training programs at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. for six years. She spent an undergraduate year in France and traveled extensively throughout Europe. She has a BA from Washington and Lee University in Virginia, speaks advanced French and has a working knowledge of Spanish. Joy lives in Austin with her husband Erik, sister Jill and niece Isabel.
Resident Intern
Jewel joined the Whole Planet Foundation team as the Resident Intern in January 2010; her main role is managing the website and social media channels.
Jewel has a true passion for microfinance and alternative business methods to eliminate poverty around the world. In 2007, she participated in American University’s Kogod School of Business International Management Practice in Santiago, Chile, which sparked much of her interest in the developing world. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Israel, and Argentina.
Jewel deeply resonates with the mission of Whole Planet Foundation and the core values of Whole Foods Market. She is enthused to be working for Whole Planet Foundation, as it was a dream of hers to work for a company that actively works to make lives better for people around the globe. She was extremely fortunate to travel with the team to Nairobi, Kenya.
Jewel graduated Summa Cum Laude from American University in 2008. She earned her BBA, specializing in Finance and Real Estate and a minor in Cultural Anthropology.
Since graduating, Jewel has been an academic tutor for a high school student. In her spare time, Jewel loves to be on the lake wakeboarding and surfing and is enjoying being back in Austin with her family.
Executive Program Director
Steve is passionate about microfinance and other business solutions that are improving the lives of the poor. He was hired by Whole Planet Foundation in March 2006 as the Field Program Manager to support the creation of new microfinance institutions in Guatemala and Costa Rica in partnership with Grameen Trust. Only months prior to beginning with the Foundation, Steve had completed his two years of service in the Peace Corps working with rural Guatemalan farmers implementing business solutions in an effort to improve their livelihoods.
His international development experience coupled with his previous work in business development in the technology industry help Steve to bridge between people struggling to make ends meet and leaders looking to understand the challenges of the poor. Now as the Executive Program Director, Steve is responsible for overseeing and expanding Whole Planet Foundation’s portfolio of microfinance projects around the world.
Steve is proud to be a 2008 Whole Foods Market Global All-Star, an avid rugby player, and a fluent Spanish speaker.
