Toya M Russell Phillips, MBA
Toya M. Russell Phillips is a dynamic nonprofit leader and community advocate with nearly three decades of experience dedicated to empowering underserved populations. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Girls of Excellence, Inc., she has built a transformative mentoring organization that serves hundreds of girls across the Atlanta metropolitan area. Her work is rooted in her own lived experiences growing up without access to consistent guidance and resources, which now fuels her mission to ensure young girls have the support, confidence, and life skills needed to thrive.
With a strong foundation in business management, Toya brings extensive expertise in program operations, fundraising, community partnerships, and organizational leadership. She has successfully led initiatives spanning youth development, family services, and community engagement, managing everything from mentor coordination and school partnerships to financial oversight and program evaluation. In addition to leading Girls of Excellence, she co-founded The Girls Cooperative, a coalition of organizations advocating for increased resources and visibility for girl-serving programs and remains actively involved in national mentoring efforts through leadership and policy advocacy.
At the core of Toya’s work is a deep belief in the power of mentorship and community. She is passionate about meeting girls where they are, providing not only academic and career guidance but also critical social-emotional support and real-world life skills. Through initiatives like leadership camps, service projects, and year-round mentoring, she is building a village of support that extends beyond the classroom and into the community. Toya’s leadership continues to inspire lasting impact, shaping the next generation of confident, capable young women.
• Northwood University - DeVos Graduate School- Executive M.B.A.
• Northwood University- B.B.A.
• Volunteer Partnership Award
• Community Partner Award - B'Fly Girls, Inc.
• Emmy Award
• Intentional Woman Award
• Atlanta Black Business Chamber
• Mentor Florida Georgia (Provider Council Member)
• MENTOR National
• The Girls Cooperative, Inc.
• National Black Child Development Initiative
• Atlanta Public Schools Calendar Planning Committee
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to faith, dedication, commitment, courage, and confidence. My confidence comes partly from the strong women in my family, but also from having nothing to lose sometimes and just going for it. I learned a long time ago that rejection hurts, but it's also a testimony to yourself that you tried something. No means next opportunity, not necessarily that it's the end. It's constantly affirming yourself and celebrating yourself. When you actually get wins, you know you deserve that win because you worked hard at it or went after the opportunity, and it just kind of builds. As you get older, you feel more comfortable in it, and you don't feel as shy or intimidated anymore. Every time something happens, whether it's good or bad, it builds you up even more because you're building up that tough skin. It encourages you to say, you know what, I didn't get the last one, but I'm gonna go after the next one.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is just don't limit yourself. Just go for it. Find what works for you, and don't feel like you can't do it. If you're interested in a new position or something you may feel intimidated by, do your research, make sure it's a good fit for you, and go for it. Nothing really can handcuff you into feeling like you're not worthy. This advice has always come from my mentor, who's run large companies. She tells me to go for it and find your place in it. Whatever you have to offer, you're always enough.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, make sure you're cut for this, because it's not easy. Definitely do your research to make sure whatever you're entering into, that you're okay with what it will take in order for it to be successful. Be optimistic, be a visionary, and be willing to do the work and wear a lot of hats. But also celebrate the wins. In this type of work, because it is so tied to emotion and seeing the impact that you're trying to make on your community and those that you're serving, understand that that is the reward. It's not gonna be the people you meet, or even if you get a big award or a big grant or a large donation - those are great, but nothing beats when that young lady says, because of you, or because of the program, or that light you see in them that you spark. Nothing beats that.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Funding is always at the top as a challenge for any nonprofit. Our world is changing in a way that our systems need an overhaul in terms of blending what's needed from a social, emotional, mental health aspect, which is where we land with our services, combined with the academic focus of our educational system with young people. Our society has always focused a lot on systems working in silos, so the challenge we face is making our impact in a significant way that will support young people in their overall growth, not just one or the other. We're trying to get in a space where we're really advocating that our programming is infused in our current educational system. Another major challenge is recruitment - finding those good people that really want to make a difference in their community with youth. We rely on our mentors to step up to be mentors for our program to actually function, so finding the mentors is a significant challenge alongside funding.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are integrity, trust, respect, and support. Integrity is such a great umbrella because it encompasses all the things - it's about doing what's right, even when no one is looking. It's about how you sleep at night and making the right decision that's best for the situation. Trust is so big, and respect matters deeply. Integrity umbrellas everything because it involves how you sleep at night, doing things when people aren't looking, which is the trust factor. And really, integrity also means that you respect not only yourself but others, because you're doing it the right way to benefit the whole, as opposed to just yourself.