Life and Education

Phillip was raised in Howell, Michigan. He attended the Howell public schools, graduating in 1998. He attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit from 1999-2000 as an animation and illustration major but did not return to complete his degree, deciding to pursue education instead. Following a conversion to Christianity in 1999, Phillip entered the Catholic Church in 2002 and returned to school shortly afterward, pursuing a BA in Liberal Arts from Ave Maria College (2005) Magna Cum Laude. Phillip returned to school again at Madonna University, obtaining a certification in Secondary Education (2010) with a background in Social Studies, English, Classroom Management, and Educational Psychology.

Mr. Campbell began his work with young people as a Youth Director in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan (2007-2010) and spent ten years (2007-2017) teaching history and Sacred Scripture for the St. Augustine Homeschool Enrichment Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2009 Mr. Campbell joined Homeschool Connections, a pioneer in online education for Catholic homeschoolers. In the decade he has taught at Homeschool Connections, Mr. Campbell has been privileged to share his love of history with thousands of students from all over the world.

Mr. Campbell is a regular speaker at homeschooling conferences around the country. He also holds history boot-camps for homeschool co-ops that give students an intensive, immersive experience in historical education. To find out about booking Phillip as a speaker for your conference or to learn about his history boot-camps, visit the speaker page.

Author

Phillip has been writing since he was young. He has tried to pass this love of writing on to others as well; in 2008 Mr. Campbell founded the Penmoot Society, a writing club for teenage boys modeled on the Inklngs of Tolkien and Lewis. Phillip’s first published work was the self-titled Tale of Manaeth (2009), a fantasy-epic he produced for the boys of the Penmoot. The same year he founded Cruachan Hill Press, an independent publishing house specializing in “Catholic book for nerdy intellectuals.” Since 2009 he has self-published a variety of projects under the Cruachan Hill label.

Phillip partnered with TAN Books in 2015 and helped launch the Story of Civilization series, which has grown to become the most popualr English-language history curriculum among Catholic primary school students. To date Phillip has authored six volumes in the series. Phillip has also written for Arx Publishing, the Catholic Textbook Project, and Ave Maria Press. He also continues to self-publish under the Cruachan Hill Press imprint.

Please see the Books & Publications page for a complete list of Mr. Campbell’s written works and essays.

Political Career

Phillip has a history of activism in local politics. He was elected Mayor of his hometown of Howell, Michigan and served two terms, from 2011 to 2015. He has also served on his city’s Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority. Mr. Campbell ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan State Legislature in the primary election of 2014. 

Radio

From 2019 to 2023, Phillip was the host of the Catholic variety program “Faith Matters with Phillip Campbell“, produced by Good Shepherd Catholic Radio out of Jackson, Michigan. Archived episodes of the program can be heard by visiting the complete Faith Matters archive on this website, or by clicking here and scrolling down to “Audio Archive.”

Personal Life

Phillip lives with his kids in a ramshackle 1937 farmhouse on five acres in southern Michigan. He enjoys long walks to the fridge, narwhal humor, folding laundry, watching anime, and knocking back some Dr. Peppers. When not playing music, writing, or teaching he is typically engaged in some sort of nerdy hobby. The life accomplishment he is most proud of is his beard.

Contact

If you would like to contact Mr. Campbell, please use the contact form here.