Halima Phillips-Smith

Halima Phillips-Smith M.S. currently serves as the Emergency Services Coordinator for the California Department of Social Services and as a Substitute Teacher for the Lemon Grove School District, both positions held since early 2024. Previously, Halima held roles including Chief of Staff for Koryn Sheppard's campaign for Superior Court Judge, Project Manager at Matthew Smith Web Design, and Emergency Planner at Vertisystem. A former Front Office Manager at Seagate Products, Halima managed emergency management coordination and compliance. Halima also served as Vice President of University Relations at JerseySTEM, overseeing Federal Work Study Program coaches and strategic university partnerships. Halima holds a Ph.D. in Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management and a Master’s in Homeland Security from Capella University and National University, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management.