Brooklyn-born and Iowa-raised, David Phillips has a unique outlook on public art. David attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Tufts University, Drake and Tulane Law Schools.
Though an attorney by schooling, David’s passion is development of sustainable businesses, and mentoring entrepreneurs through the various squalls that new businesses inevitably experience. David serves as inside and outside counsel to companies with a preference for sustainable manufacturing. David experience is varied.
His history includes private practice, work as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Des Moines, counsel for a physician owned hospital developer, Vice President of Sales for Kemin Human Nutrition and Health, and General Counsel and Director of Strategic Partnerships for 4Ocean Public Benefit Corporation, a Florida-based ocean cleanup company seeking to reduce the world’s consumption of single use plastics.
David has also founded multiple sustainable companies. David was founder and CEO of the ReWall Company, the first company in the United States to recycle beverage cartons into wallboard and roof coverboard, David was also founder and CEO of GW Nutrition, a company that uses UV technology to improve the sensory profile of plant and algal proteins. He serves as general counsel for a manufacturing company that builds portable biochar processing units, converting organic waste into high value biochar and carbon credits. He also provides mentorship to several businesses.
David previously served on the boards for: Iowa Youth Philharmonic, Bergman Academy, Iowa State Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Council for Responsible Nutrition National Advertising Division. David is also a founder of the Iowa Independent Student Tuition Organization.
The free time David has available is often spent skiing, biking, or reading. David’s wife Christine Branstad leads a criminal defense firm in Des Moines, and their two sons are both soon-to-be college graduates (if anyone is hiring).