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Philippe Villers

Philippe Villers, founder and president of Families USA, got his start as a high-tech entrepreneur. A mechanical engineer by training, Mr. Villers has spent over 50 years in the engineering industry. In that time, he has founded several successful high-tech corporations, including Computervision, Inc., Automatix, Inc., and Cognition, Inc. He is currently the President of GrainPro, Inc., a company committed to environmental preservation and food security in developing countries.

At a young age, Mr. Villers immigrated to the United States with his family to avoid the onslaught of World War II in France. Today, he credits the experience for helping shape his social conscience. In 1981, when he and his wife put their minds together to determine a way they could improve quality of life for the elderly, they established Families USA. Mr. Villers is deeply committed to Families USA’s mission to achieve collective access to high quality, affordable health and long-term care for all Americans.

Additionally, he continues to advocate for social justice by serving on the ACLU President’s Committee and serving on the boards of organizations like United Villages, Mercy Corps, and the Institute for Global Leadership. His innovative spirit and longstanding commitment to social change make Mr. Villers the recipient of the National Immigration Forum’s 2011 Carvel Immigrant Entrepreneur Award.

Mr. Villers holds an AB with honors from Harvard, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T., and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Lowell. He and his wife Katherine have three children.