Venus Phillips

Venus Phillips is a managing director at The Kresge Foundation where she is responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and investment managers across all asset classes and geographies for the foundation’s endowment. Venus joined Kresge in 2019 as an investment director focused on private markets including private equity, real estate and natural resources. She has been integral to the team’s recruiting activities and has led to successful partnerships with Girls Who Invest and the John W. Rogers, Jr. Internship Program in Finance. Previously Venus served as head of public markets at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis), where she led investment strategy for the company’s pension funds and employee savings plans. She also worked as an international equity and foreign exchange manager for the global automaker. She has also held positions with Morningstar Inc., the University of Chicago Investment Office, NextGen Capital Partners and JP Morgan Private Bank. Phillips holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance at Howard University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A native of Ann Arbor, Phillips serves on the investment committee of the Skillman Foundation, a private foundation that partners with people to transform education systems, nurturing the brilliance and power of Detroit youth. She also serves on the finance and investment committee of the Hudson-Webber Foundation, a private foundation created to support community initiatives across the city of Detroit. In 2021 she was awarded several professional accolades including Chief Investment Officer NextGens, Institutional Investor Allocator Voices: Women in Investment Management, and Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40.