CNHED is delighted to welcome Phillip Berkaw as our newest employee, serving as Senior Director of the DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP). CNHED’s DCAP initiative is a collaborative of local “anchor institutions” – hospitals, universities, and utility companies – harnessing their purchasing power to grow DC-based minority-owned business enterprises (DC MBEs). Led by CNHED and co-convened with the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), DCAP works with its Anchor Members to re-engineer institutional procurement systems and create equitable access to contract opportunities.
Prior to joining DCAP, Phillip led the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Network at the National League of Cities, an innovative program that helps cities implement more inclusive, entrepreneurship-led economic development policies and programs. He created partnerships between city leaders, entrepreneurship support organizations, and national nonprofits to facilitate the growth and expansion of BIPOC-owned businesses in cities nationwide.
Before earning a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2019, he was a high school science teacher and department head in the Recovery School District in New Orleans and a Teach for America corps member. Phillip graduated with a B.S. from the University of Michigan in 2013. He loves exploring new cities, going on runs, and trying new recipes.