Stanley Davis (Dave) Phillips
Dave Phillips was sworn in as United States Ambassador to Estonia by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on April 16, 2007 at a ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC. A businessman, civic leader, and former senior state official in North Carolina, he brings a wealth of experience to his service as President Bush's personal representative to the Republic of Estonia. He presented his credentials to Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on May 31, 2007. He concluded this tour as Ambassador on January 16, 2009.
Dave Phillips has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phillips Industries, Inc., and as a partner in Market Square Partnership. For more than 30 years he promoted American business by financing accounts receivables, by building showrooms for the International Furniture Market, and by manufacturing textiles.
In his home state of North Carolina, he served in key state government positions at the request of both Republican and Democratic governors, including the positions of Secretary of Commerce, Chairman of the State Economic Development Board, and Member of the Board of the State Department of Transportation. He has played a prominent role in the development of his hometown of High Point, North Carolina and serving the greater region, including as Chairman of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, the Economic Development Corporation and the High Point and Triad Chamber of Commerce. As Secretary of Commerce, he organized trade missions to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, meeting world leaders.
As a high school student in 1961, he participated in one of the first student exchange programs between United States and the Soviet Union, attending Moscow State University. He traveled extensively through Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Poland. More recently, he led a trip to India where he met with the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas. He has served on the board of educational, medical, and other causes as diverse as Duke University, the Wake Forest University Medical Center, and the Smithsonian Institution. In 1999, he chaired the World Games of the Special Olympics in America, presiding over 10,000 athletes and coaches from 150 countries visiting North Carolina and more than 36,000 citizens volunteering their services.
Ambassador Phillips was born in High Point, North Carolina. He attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife have four grown daughters: Lil, Kate, Bo, and Lucy.
