Philip Stephenson

Philip Stephenson is the Chairman of the Freedom Group, a set of companies focused on portfolio investing and real estate development.  Previously he worked in the petroleum, private equity, and investment banking industries, and served in a senior position in the international section of the US Treasury Department (1991-1993). 

In 2005 Mr. Stephenson founded the Stephenson Foundation, a tax-exempt private foundation which promotes exploration and protection of the ocean. The foundation has made multi-year commitments to the National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, Dr. Bob Ballard's Ocean Exploration Trust, and Dr. Sylvia Earle’s “Mission Blue” program.  The Foundation also leads an effort to establish a Marine Protected Area in the southern Grenadines, where Mr. Stephenson owns the private island of Petit St Vincent (PSV).

Mr. Stephenson serves on several nonprofit boards, including NatGeo’s Pristine Seas advisory board; the Board of International Counselors at both the Center for Strategic and International Studies (“CSIS”) and the Belfer Center at Harvard’s JFK School of Government. An avid sailor, Mr. Stephenson is a member of the New York Yacht Club.

A native of Texas, Mr. Stephenson graduated Harvard College magna cum laude (1986) and Harvard Law School magna cum laude (1990).  Mr. Stephenson is married with two children.