Lifetime of Service to Our Community
Dr. Phlunté Riddle (pronounced fa lôn tay) is a lifelong community leader, educator, businesswoman, and public safety executive. She spent her career addressing community safety issues and advocating for those in need.
Phlunté spent nearly 30 years serving Pasadena and honing her leadership skills at the Pasadena Police Department, moving through the ranks as a patrol officer, detective, and community liaison. She broke barriers when she became the first African American female sergeant, lieutenant, and then sworn Adjutant to the Chief of Police in the history of the Pasadena Police Department.
In 2019, Phlunté was appointed as a Board of Juvenile Hearings Commissioner with California’s Division of Juvenile Justice, continuing her public safety service. She conducts hearings with young offenders to help them gain access to educational and job training opportunities and trauma-informed mental health treatment to reduce their risk of re-offending.
Before her appointment, Phlunté served the Foothill communities as Assemblymember Chris Holden’s District Director. She helped him expand the College and Career Access Pathways program that provides high school students with the opportunity to take college and vocational training courses. Together, she and Assemblymember Holden pursued solutions that work for expanding the Gold Line, mental health services, public safety, and cleaner energy.
In addition to her lifelong work as a public safety officer, Phlunté was an adjunct professor teaching criminal justice at several universities. She leads her own consulting company, where she works with executives to solve organizational challenges and implement leadership development strategies.
Phlunté received her doctorate degree specializing in psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. She holds an M.A. degree in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University and a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of La Verne. She is also a graduate of California Command College and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.
