Phyllis J. Mihalas

Dr. Phyllis J. Mihalas enlisted into the United States Army Reserve in July 1979. Commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Civil Affairs branch in 1982, she eventually went on to branch transfer into Military Intelligence and become a Counterintelligence Officer. Throughout the years, her assignments have included various positions in the Training and Operations arena, as well as two Psychological Operations Commands and one Joint Command as the Senior Military Observer (MILOB) for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). Prior to going from Reserve to Active duty (1992), Dr. Mihalas had 20 years as a Teacher and Administrator in the Baltimore City Public Schools, with a specialty in the Administration of Special Education programmes. In June 2002, Lieutenant Colonel Mihalas deployed to UNMEE as the Senior American MILOB and G5 (Civil Military Officer) for the Force Commander. As the G5, she managed a staff of 14 international officers and non-commissioned officers from 11 different countries in the development and execution of over 200 Quick Impact Projects (QIPs). The QIPs were located throughout the vicinity of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between Ethiopia and Eritrea and stretched from the Sudan in the west to Djibouti to the east. Projects such as water delivery, medical services, educational programmes, HIV/AIDS awareness, economic development, road improvements, and others were accomplished during the six-month tenure. LTC Mihalas is a graduate of Duquesne University (BS History/Education), Loyola College (MA Special Education), Morgan State University (MS Educational Administration), Defense Intelligence College (MS Strategic Intelligence), and Walden University (PhD, Education). Currently, she is a student at the Army War College studying Strategic Studies. She serves as an Instructor for the Advanced Joint Professional Military Education course at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.