In Memoriam: Katherine Williams Phillips, 1972-2020

Katherine W. Phillips, the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character at the business school at Columbia University in New York City, died on January 15. She was 47 years old and had suffered from breast cancer.

Dr. Phillips also served as the director of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics. She had also served as senior vice dean of the business school. Professor Phillips was an expert on the value of diversity to organizations.

Professor Katherine W. Phillips joined the faculty at Columbia Business School in the fall of 2011. Before joining Columbia, she was an associate professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She first joined the faculty at Northwestern University in 1999.

A native of Chicago, Professor Phillips held a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. There, she was a three-time All-American in track. Dr. Phillips held a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Stanford University.