Philip Alphonse and Staci R. Collins Jackson Join Columbia College Chicago Board of Trustees

Campus Communications / Aug 02, 2022

Board of TrusteesNew Board of Trustee members Philip Alphonse and Staci R. Collins Jackson
Alphonse has a distinguished career in private equity and Jackson MAM ’06 in public relations.

Columbia College Chicago welcomes new Board of Trustee members Philip Alphonse and Staci R. Collins Jackson. The board elected Alphonse and Jackson at their May 12 and June 22 meetings, respectively. 

Alphonse has a distinguished career in private equity and Jackson MAM ’06 in public relations. 

“I am delighted that Phil and Staci have joined the Board. Their ability to provide strategic counsel and serve as advocates in the community will be incredibly valuable as we look to the future and build upon the college’s recent successes,” says President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim.

Each trustee is elected to a renewable three-year term and is asked to attend four board meetings a year, sit on board committees, and fulfill a $10,000 giving component every academic year that can be directed to any area of the college.

Philip Alphonse is a senior partner and co-founder of The Vistria Group (“Vistria”) and co-leads their Knowledge and Learning Solutions (“KLS”) practice. Vistria is a next-generation private investment firm with over $7 billion in committed capital and operates at the intersection of purpose and profit. With a focus on KLS, Healthcare, and Financial Services sectors, Vistria partners with middle-market businesses that are passionate about growth and committed to the community. At Vistria, Philip has invested in and served on the boards of Penn Foster, MSI, FullBloom, Edmentum, and ESS. He also serves as a board member for the University of Chicago Medical Center, P33 Chicago, Window to the World Communications, Inc. (WTTW Chicago’s PBS Affiliate), and Innovation for Equity.

Prior to joining Vistria, Philip was a principal at a private equity fund with approximately $6 billion in assets under management where he focused on investments in education companies. He previously served as a director for Educate, Inc., Educate Online, and Infilaw Holding, LLC. He started his career as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley & Co. Mr. Alphonse received an AB from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Staci R. Collins Jackson is the founder and CEO of The Collins Jackson Agency. Some of her many film credits include the Oscar® nominated films Mudbound, Harriet and Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as streaming successes Coming 2 America and Sylvie’s Love plus box office hits Girls Trip, Ride Along 2, and the Think Like A Man film franchise. She is also the publicist for the highly anticipated Marvel film, Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever set to hit theaters worldwide in November of 2022.

Jackson is a past executive committee member and a current voting member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the prestigious, invitation-only global organization of only the most accomplished film executives and filmmakers working in film; as well as a member of The Television Academy, the organization that awards television's most coveted prize, The Emmy® Award.

Prior to launching her PR firm full time, Jackson was director of communications at Harpo Studios and publicist for Oprah Winfrey. Earlier in her career, she was vice president of Ebony and Jet magazines and oversaw the direction of the company’s Corporate Communications department.

As a scholar, Jackson holds a BS in Journalism from Florida A&M University and earned a Master of Arts Management degree in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago, in addition to completing executive education programs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Harvard Business School, and Stanford University. 

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