Foundation’s new exec brings $100M in fundraising success

NAPLES — The Immokalee Foundation named Melissa Phillips, most recently the executive director of The Erin Brockovich Foundation, vice president of philanthropy.

In addition to overseeing the California-based foundation launched by noted environmental activist Brockovich, Phillips has raised over $100 million in Collier County for a variety of causes, according to a statement. At The Immokalee Foundation her primary focus will be on the identification, cultivation and solicitation of major and planned gifts, the release adds.

The Immokalee Foundation provides a range of education programs that focus on building pathways to professional careers through support, mentoring and tutoring and life skills development, leading to economic independence. “Melissa’s strong fundraising and nonprofit experience, along with her commitment to community involvement on behalf of The Immokalee Foundation, will expand our efforts and capabilities to ensure a brighter future for Immokalee students,” says The Immokalee Foundation Executive Director Noemi Perez in the statement.

Phillips began her career as a social worker on a medical floor at a hospital, followed by a position within the mental health crisis unit, the release states. She’s worked in private practice as a family therapist, and has a master’s degree in social work from Florida Gulf Coast University.