Who is Emily Phillips from Things Not Seen and what is their importance?

Emily Phillips is Bobby's mom. She is a professor of literature at the University of Chicago. Bobby refers to her as the "Director" because she is always giving orders. While she seems like a tough, organized, and regimented person on the outside, she does have a motherly instinct that makes her truly care about her son. Emily comes to realize that she has been taking her relationship for granted after she is in a car accident with her husband and after Bobby becomes invisible.