Caroline Smith, a 1997 graduate of Ramona High School, has taken the helm of the county Health and Human Services Agency where she is helping to oversee the opening of the Ramona Community Resource Center set for early November.
Smith, 45, has been interim deputy chief administrative officer for the department since June 26, when she took over for her predecessor Eric McDonald after a month-long training. She is temporarily overseeing the organization that has a $3.4 billion annual budget and nearly 8,000 employees.
“It’s an honor to be entrusted with that,” Smith said. “Every day is new and it’s not without its challenges. At the end of the day the teams leading the programs are so amazing at what they do. They make it easier to steer a ship this large.”
The Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) helps people enroll in public benefits such as Medi-Cal, CalWORKS and CalFresh, and helps older adults and others living with disabilities to stay in their homes. Other services address mental health and substance use assistance, family strengthening and child protection, and homelessness prevention and affordable housing assistance.
Smith said her favorite part of the job is working with professionals who are dedicated to the programs and the people they serve.
“I asked to come in on an interim basis,” said Smith, who does not plan to seek the permanent position when interviews are conducted in August. “It’s an honor to lead people who are dedicated and excited to come to work every day.”
The goal is to have a new deputy chief in place by October, she said, adding that she plans to return to her former role with the county as director of Economic Development and Government Affairs.
Courtesy County of San Diego
Caroline Smith, fifth from right, recently participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the East Region Crisis Stabilization Center. (Courtesy County of San Diego)
HHSA department leaders under Smith’s supervision are putting the finishing touches on the $15 million Ramona Community Resource Center estimated to open at the corner of 12th and Main streets in a few months. The center is expected to provide services related to Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWorks in addition to immunizations, vaccines, mental health services and child welfare services.
Smith said the center will be an “incredible” resource, offering a one-stop-shop that serves local residents, who won’t have to drive down the hill for assistance with self-sufficiency programs and public health and behavioral health services.
“It will serve more clients and, really the hope is, it becomes a resource for the community on an intergenerational campus,” she said. “We hope it sheds new light on how people interact with our health and human services programs.”
After graduating from Ramona High, Smith got a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of San Diego in 2001. She then moved to Dallas where she worked as an event director for a private company. A few years later, in 2005, she realized she wanted to return to Ramona to be near her family and said she stumbled across a job at the county.
She said she only planned to work for the county for five years but, 19 years later, she’s still there.
Smith has held several positions, including community liaison for one of the county supervisors and a lead in health and human services and public safety policy. Next she worked as a senior policy adviser before she took an executive position within the Health and Human Services Agency. In addition to assisting HHSA with policy and legislation, she served as deputy director over Aging and Independence Services before being promoted to assistant director.
Her most recent assignment was director of the Economic Development and Government Affairs Department.
Among her many roles, she was instrumental in streamlining the process of reporting elder abuse by shifting it from telephone and in-person to online reporting, and she helped self-sufficiency clients access benefits more efficiently based on feedback from staff.
“The things that seem small make a big difference,” Smith said. “Listening to the front line staff helped shape better programs all around. It’s been exciting to be a part of that.”
Courtesy County of San Diego
Caroline Smith spoke at a groundbreaking event during her first press conference in the role of interim deputy chief administrative officer. (Courtesy County of San Diego)
Smith’s colleague, county Communications Director Michael Workman, said he interacts with Smith almost daily. Both are members of an Executive Team involved in intergovernmental affairs.
Workman describes Smith as a “trusted leader” who gets things done.
“She rolls up her sleeves and digs in,” he said. “If she doesn’t already know the answer when a question is asked, which she does most of the time, she gets the answer quickly. She solves problems. She has answers that solve problems.”
“As a longtime Ramona resident myself, I’m very proud of Caroline’s success,” he said in an email. “As should everyone who hails from our unique corner of the county. She tirelessly serves the public and is one of the new generation who will take the reins of county government.”
Smith was raised by her parents, Peter and Debbie Smith, in Ramona where the family has lived since 1983.
At Ramona High, she was captain of the cheerleading squad for four years. After graduating, she led the cheerleading squad at University of San Diego where she was also president of her Alpha Phi sorority.
Courtesy Caroline Smith
Caroline Smith, right, celebrates her graduation from Ramona High School in 1997 with her sister, Courtney Cindrich. (Courtesy Caroline Smith)
Peter Smith said he’s watched his daughter grow into a responsible adult who works with an agency that serves one out of three residents of San Diego County.
“You see the torch pass to the next generation,” he said. “She’s worked very hard to get to where she is and she is very good at what she does. It’s a huge responsibility and a lot of money is involved with a lot of services.”
He said he and his wife are proud of her success, which they attribute to a strong sense of value and common sense and a commitment to treating everybody fairly.
“I’d say the number one thing is her compassion,” he said.
Caroline Smith lives in Solana Beach with her husband, Scott and their 9-year-old son, Cole.
On July 13, she was at Ramona High to celebrate the retirement of two of her favorite teachers, Mona Snodgrass, who taught her AP Government and was the cheerleading adviser, and Robin Brainard, who taught her AP History, some 27 years ago.
“I still have the same four best friends from high school,” Smith said. “That community connection never goes away.
“The wonderful thing about Ramona is the sense of community,” she said.
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