Mayor Newsom announces new Executive Director of the Emergency Communications Department

From the Mayor's Office of Communications

May 23, 2006

San Francisco, CA – Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today that Laura Phillips will be the new Executive Director of the city and county’s Emergency Communications Department. Ms. Phillips, who is currently the Funding and Project Development Manager for Motorola’s division of Government Relations, brings more than twenty-five years of emergency services experience to the new position. In addition to her private sector experience, Ms. Phillips has extensive experience in the public safety sector, including more than ten years of public safety communications experience in the Silicon Valley.

Ms. Phillips’ selection comes after an exhaustive national search that was led by city Controller Ed Harrington.

“We are very pleased to have Laura as a part of our public safety team,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Over the past 100 years, San Francisco has distinguished itself as a city with an unmatched commitment to the vitality of its emergency services. I’m confident that Executive Director Phillips will be a proud part of that tradition.”

“This candidate was selected after an intensive national search,” said City Controller Ed Harrington. “There is no question that the city is getting one of the best and brightest for our public safety team.”

The Emergency Communications Department has more than 230 employees and a budget of $69.4 million. The department has four divisions within its administrative structure including: 911 Operations, Office of Emergency Services, Human Resources and Finance and Administration. Ms. Phillips is a graduate of St. Joseph’s college in Maine. She is a member of the Northern California Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, where she served as President. Ms. Phillips has received a number of awards for her work, including the Susan E. Volger Award for outstanding leadership in Communications Interoperability and the Ramona Raymond “Pillar of Inspiration” award from the Santa Clara County Public Safety Managers Association.

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