PHILIP ALFONSO BERRY, M.B.A., M.S.W., B.A., A.A., was appointed by Governor George Pataki in June 2006 as a member of the Board of The City University of New York. He was appointed Vice Chairperson of the Board by Governor Eliot Spitzer in June 2007.
He was recently reappointed to the Board for a seven-year term by Governor David Paterson. Currently, Mr. Berry is President of Philip Berry Associates LLC, which provides executive coaching, leadership training, diversity consulting and organizational development services. Until recently he was Vice President, Global Workplace Initiatives and Corporate Officer for Colgate-Palmolive, a Fortune 500 global consumer products company, since 2004. He lead the company’s efforts to attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce and is responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating diversity and inclusion strategies on a global basis, along with government compliance.
From 2001 to 2003 he was Vice President, Global Employee Relations & Best Place to Work, in charge of employee relations strategy and policies worldwide, and developing the company as an employer of choice. Mr. Berry, who joined Colgate-Palmolive in 1990, served as Vice President of Human Resources for its European Division from 1998 to 2001, providing strategic and operational leadership throughout the Continent; subsequent to that he handled Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Europe and Asia. Mr. Berry was Vice President of Human Resources for the Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority prior to joining Colgate-Palmolive, and also worked for Procter & Gamble and the Urban League.
Mr. Berry received a BA in Sociology from Queens College and an Associate’s Degree in Marketing from Borough of Manhattan Community College. He holds an MBA from Xavier University of Cincinnati, and an MSW from Columbia University. Mr. Berry is Vice Chair of the Department of Education’s Panel for Education Policy. He is a member of CUNY’s Business Leadership Council and the Acting Chair of the CUNY Construction Fund. In 2004 he received the Governor’s Award for Community Distinction, and in 2003 he was selected by Crain’s New York Business as one of New York’s 100 most influential Black business executives.
