Katherine W. Phillips
- January 15, 2020
- 47 years
About Katherine W. Phillips
Katherine W. Phillips, 47, American social scientist and academic, cancer.
Explore other notable deaths in 2020 or deaths in January 2020.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Katherine W. Phillips?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Katherine Williams Phillips (March 4, 1972 – January 15, 2020) was an American business theorist and the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character at Columbia University's Business School, where she worked from 2011 until her death in 2020. She headed the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia, and was Senior Vice Dean.
Career
Born Katherine Y. Williams to Adolph Williams and Amelia (Rogers), Phillips was the youngest of six siblings. She grew up in a black Chicago neighborhood, and in the third grade, was chosen to attend a nearly all-white magnet school where she was one of the few black students. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned a PhD from Stanford. She was a tenured professor at both the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Columbia Business School. Phillips was known for her research into diversity in the workplace, demonstrating that diversity on teams leads to greater innovation and creativity. She was a Senior Vice dean at Columbia and had published collaborations with other faculty on Diversity and other topics. She was its Reuben Mark professor of organizational character. Her latest position was as the director of its Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics.
Biography
She married fellow Stanford graduate and Columbia Business School professor Damon Phillips, the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise at Columbia. Phillips was a three-time All American in Track and Field at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where she competed in the 400 m dash, long jump and relays.
Honors
Named one of the "Top 40 Business School Professors Under the Age of 40" by Poets and Quants in 2011, Phillips was also an Academy of Management Fellow.
Publications
- When surface and deep-level diversity collide: The effects on dissenting group members - Authors: Katherine W Phillips, Denise Lewin Loyd -Publication date:2006/3/1, Journal -Organizational behavior and human decision processes-Volume 99/Issue2
- Social category diversity promotes premeeting elaboration: The role of relationship focus - Authors:DL Loyd, CS Wang, KW Phillips, RB Lount Jr., Organization Science 24 (3), 757-772, 2013
- Expertise in your midst: How congruence between status and speech style affects reactions to unique knowledge - Authors:D Lewin Loyd, KW Phillips, J Whitson, MC Thomas-Hunt, Group processes & intergroup relations 13 (3), 379–395,2010
- Duo status: Disentangling the complex interactions within a minority of two - Authors: DL Loyd, J White, M Kern, KW Phillips, E Mannix, MA Neale, Research on Managing Groups and Teams, JAI Press, Amsterdam, 75–92, 2008
- Managing perceptions of ethical behavior in evaluative groups: The implications for diversity in organizations - Authors: DL Loyd, KW Phillips, Research on Managing in Groups and Teams 8, 225–45, 2006
- Social Similarity and Opinion Conflict: The Impact of Relationship Concerns - Authors: C Wang, K Williams Phillips, D Loyd, R Lount, IACM. 2006
- Reactions to Disagreement from an In-group Member: The Impact of Out-group Member Status - Authors: D Loyd, K Williams Phillips, SY Kim-Jun, SH Shim, MIT Sloan Research Paper, 2010
- Group Processes & Intergroup - Authors: DL Loyd, KW Phillips, J Whitson, MC Thomas-Hunt, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 13 (3), 379–395, 2010.
- Negational categorization and intergroup behavior - Authors: CB Zhong, KW Phillips, GJ Leonardelli, AD Galinsky, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 34 (6), 793–806, 56 2008
Death
Phillips died of breast cancer on January 15, 2020, at age 47. Phillips is survived by her husband and their two daughters.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
Reported coverage of Katherine W. Phillips; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Katherine W. Phillips on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_W._Phillips
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Katherine W. Phillips's archived record and the sources above.
1.What is the full birth name of Katherine W. Phillips?
- A.Katherine Y. Williamscorrect
- B.Katherine Rogers Williams
- C.Katherine A. Phillips
- D.Katherine W. Phillips
Katherine W. Phillips was born Katherine Y. Williams to parents Adolph Williams and Amelia Rogers.
Source: career section
2.In which city did Katherine W. Phillips grow up?
- A.Urbana-Champaign
- B.New York City
- C.Chicagocorrect
- D.Stanford
Katherine W. Phillips grew up in a black neighborhood in Chicago.
Source: career section
3.At what age did Katherine W. Phillips pass away?
- A.47correct
- B.45
- C.48
- D.46
Katherine W. Phillips died of breast cancer on January 15, 2020, at the age of 47.
Source: death section
4.Where did Katherine W. Phillips earn her PhD?
- A.Northwestern University
- B.Stanford Universitycorrect
- C.University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- D.Columbia University
Katherine W. Phillips graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned her PhD from Stanford University.
Source: career section
5.What was Katherine W. Phillips's research primary focus?
- A.Organizational character
- B.Educational policy
- C.Business ethics theory
- D.Diversity in the workplacecorrect
Katherine W. Phillips was known for her research into diversity in the workplace, demonstrating its positive effects on innovation and creativity.
Source: career section
6.What sport did Katherine W. Phillips compete in as a three-time All American?
- A.Tennis
- B.Basketball
- C.Swimming
- D.Track and Fieldcorrect
Katherine W. Phillips was a three-time All American in Track and Field at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Source: biography section
7.What title did Katherine W. Phillips hold at Columbia University?
- A.Dean of Students
- B.Director of Research
- C.Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Charactercorrect
- D.Senior Professor of Ethics
Katherine W. Phillips served as the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character at Columbia University's Business School.
Source: biography introduction
8.Who was Katherine W. Phillips's husband?
- A.Adolph Williams
- B.Reuben Mark
- C.Damon Phillipscorrect
- D.Charles A. O'Reilly III
Katherine W. Phillips was married to fellow Stanford graduate and Columbia Business School professor Damon Phillips.
Source: biography section
9.What award did Poets and Quants bestow upon Katherine W. Phillips in 2011?
- A.Academic Lifetime Achievement
- B.Diversity Leadership Award
- C.Top 40 Business School Professors Under the Age of 40correct
- D.Best Business Book of the Year
Katherine W. Phillips was named one of the Top 40 Business School Professors Under the Age of 40 by Poets and Quants in 2011.
Source: honors section
10.Katherine W. Phillips was a tenured professor at which two universities?
- A.Illinois and Stanford
- B.Northwestern and Chicago
- C.Stanford and Columbia
- D.Northwestern and Columbiacorrect
Katherine W. Phillips was a tenured professor at both the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Columbia Business School.
Source: career section
11.Which academic center did Katherine W. Phillips lead at Columbia?
- A.Columbia Diversity Research Institute
- B.Center for Organizational Character
- C.Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethicscorrect
- D.Kellogg Management Center
Katherine W. Phillips headed the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia.
Source: biography introduction
12.In which academic journal was the paper 'Negational categorization and intergroup behavior' published?
- A.Journal of Organizational Behavior
- B.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletincorrect
- C.Organization Science
- D.Group Processes & Intergroup Relations
The paper 'Negational categorization and intergroup behavior' co-authored by Katherine W. Phillips was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Source: publications section
13.What events did Katherine W. Phillips participate in for Track and Field?
- A.200m dash, long jump, hurdles
- B.400m dash, long jump, relayscorrect
- C.100m dash, high jump, relays
- D.400m dash, shot put, relays
Katherine W. Phillips competed in the 400m dash, long jump, and relays while at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Source: biography section
14.When was Katherine W. Phillips born?
- A.January 15, 1972
- B.January 15, 1970
- C.March 4, 1972correct
- D.March 4, 1970
Katherine W. Phillips was born on March 4, 1972.
Source: biography introduction
15.What specific organization recognized Katherine W. Phillips as a fellow?
- A.American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- B.National Academy of Education
- C.Academy of Managementcorrect
- D.American Psychological Association
Katherine W. Phillips was recognized as an Academy of Management Fellow.
Source: honors section
People who died on January 15
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Katherine W. Phillips →Advertisement
