White Coat Ceremony

Dr. Omonye Phillips, PharmD   

Dr. Omonye Phillips is a wife, mother of three and one of the youngest executives in a fortune 500 company as a Divisional Vice President at Rite Aid Pharmacy. Dr. Phillips is known as a dynamic servant leader whose life’s purpose is to motivate and bring out the best in others.

She began her career at Rite Aid as a pharmacist in 2011, and her leadership propelled her up the corporate ladder-but not without challenges. Dr. Phillips took over an underperforming district and within six months, her region rose to the top three performing districts throughout the East Coast and Midwest. As a VP, she oversees the operations of 160+ stores and manages a $2B+ budget.

Dr. Phillips has dedicated countless hours to other business, service, and philanthropy efforts all focused on improving the lives of others. One business initiative that is near and dear to her heart is My Dream BIG Club (MDBC), which focuses on providing a hub for like-minded professionals to network and brainstorm on growing beyond their comfort zone. Dr. Phillips co- found MDBC in 2018 and has witnessed a global expansion with meetings being held in North America, Africa and Europe.

Dr. Phillips is also the founder of Omosilk, which is a brand that provides Mulberry silk accessories for newborns and beyond. Having three children that all suffered from hair loss, Dr. Phillips quickly learned about the benefits of using Mulberry silk on her kids but couldn’t find any viable options on the market. Being the serial solution seeker that she is, she decided to solve her own problem by making silk accessories for newborns and beyond.

Dr. Phillips’s brand is centered around dreaming BIG - to the extent that she has been referred to as the Dream BIG Queen. She is a big advocate of vision boards or dream manifestation boards as she calls them, putting down your goals on paper and visualizing them on a daily basis while working at them. She is always looking for ways to challenge and stretch her mind, with one of her biggest challenges having trained and completed her first marathon in 2019, while assuming her new role as a Vice President and planning the first major conference for MDBC. Dr. Phillips has shown and continues to prove that she can execute and perform well under pressure, and fortunately she does not limit her efforts in helping others in the pursuit of her own development and personal business goals. She is also a recipient of the Changemaker in Business Award by Seen Magazine.

Dr. Phillips comes from a diverse academic background having studied in three different continents including Africa, Europe and North America. She is a graduate from the University of Michigan and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Dr. Phillips enjoys reading, engaging in transformative discussions, spending time with loved ones, running, playing table tennis, sleeping, traveling and anything fashion related.

Dr. Phillips sits on the Alumni Board of Governors at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. She is also an active member in her church and the community through philanthropy and volunteer efforts.

General Information:

• This year's venue is at Rackham Auditorium.
• Please plan to arrive early; doors open 30 minutes before the start of the Ceremony.
• Please turn off all cell phones.
• Ceremony will start promptly at 4:30 pm.

After Ceremony:

• Student cohort photo will be taken on the steps of Rackham immediately following the ceremony.
• Congratulations!

AIR TRAVEL
Detroit International Airport (DTW) is the airport nearest Ann Arbor.  Travel time from DTW to Ann Arbor is approximately 25 minutes. 

ACCOMMODATIONS 
Bell Tower
300 South Thayer
Ann Arbor, MI  48104
(734) 769-3010
belltowerhotel.com

Graduate Ann Arbor 
615 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109
(734) 769-2200
graduateannarbor.com

A complete list of accommodations in the Ann Arbor area can be found at: visitannarbor.org/accommodations/hotels

PARKING
The Thayer Street, Fletcher, and Palmer parking structure will be open and available for visitors on White Coat Ceremony day. The Thayer structure is located at: 216 S. Thayer Street., Fletcher structure is located at 121 Fletcher Street, and Palmer structure is located at Washtenaw and Palmer Drive.

The Thayer, Fletcher, and Palmer Structures will be open beginning at 3:30pm.  Please note that at the Palmer Structure only the UM Employee Blue parking area is available.

A link to campus maps that including parking locations can be found at: maps.studentlife.umich.edu/

DINING
A complete list of restaurants in the Ann Arbor area can be found at: visitannarbor.org/dining