Cheryl Mills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheryl Mills
29th Counselor of the United States Department of State
In office May 24, 2009 – February 3, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Eliot Cohen
Succeeded by	Heather Higginbottom
3rd Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of State
In office January 21, 2009 – February 1, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Brian Gunderson
Succeeded by	David Wade
White House Counsel
Acting
In office August 6, 1999 – September 1999
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Chuck Ruff
Succeeded by	Beth Nolan
Personal details
Born	1965 (age 59–60)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	David Domenici
Education	University of Virginia (BA) Stanford University (JD)

Cheryl Denise Mills (born 1965) is an American lawyer and business leader. She became well-known while working as a top lawyer for President Bill Clinton in the White House. She helped defend him during his impeachment trial in 1999.

Cheryl Mills has also worked for New York University. She was a senior advisor for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She is considered a close advisor to Hillary Clinton. Mills served as a special advisor and chief of staff to Hillary Clinton when Clinton was the United States Secretary of State. After leaving the government in 2013, she started BlackIvy Group. This company helps build businesses in Africa.

In 2015, she spoke to the House Select Committee on Benghazi. She answered questions about her actions during the 2012 Benghazi attack.

Early Life and Education

Cheryl Mills' father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. Because of his job, she grew up in many different places around the world. These places included Belgium, West Germany, and various parts of the U.S. She went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Mills earned her first degree, a B.A., from the University of Virginia in 1987. She was a top student there, earning a spot in Phi Beta Kappa. She then went on to get her law degree, a J.D., from Stanford Law School in 1990. While at Stanford, she was chosen to be part of the Stanford Law Review.

After law school, she worked at a law firm in Washington called Hogan & Hartson. There, she helped school districts work towards racial integration. This was based on the important court case Brown v. Board of Education.

Working in the White House

After President Clinton was elected in 1992, Cheryl Mills helped with the planning for his new government. From 1993, she worked as an Associate Counsel to the President in the White House. This meant she was one of the lawyers who advised the President.

During President Clinton's impeachment trial, Cheryl Mills became widely known. The BBC reported that she was seen as a "shining star" of the defense team. She gave a strong presentation to the Senate on behalf of President Clinton. Her speech focused on showing that he did not try to stop justice. She also highlighted President Clinton's positive work for women and minorities. She famously said, "I stand here before you today because President Bill Clinton believed I could stand here for him."

After President Clinton was found not guilty, Mills was offered a higher position as the main White House Counsel. However, she decided to decline the offer.

After the White House

After leaving the Clinton administration, Cheryl Mills took a break from practicing law. From 1999 to 2001, she worked as a Senior Vice President at Oxygen Media. This company focused on corporate policy and public programming.

By 2002, she began working for New York University (NYU). While at NYU, she helped the university manage contracts with its teachers and students. She also helped with efforts to build a new campus in Abu Dhabi, a city in the United Arab Emirates.

Working at the State Department

Cheryl Mills became the counselor and chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January 2009. As counselor, she was a main advisor to the Secretary on important foreign policy issues. As chief of staff, she helped manage the department's staff. She supported the Secretary in running the department's daily work.

A few months after she started, former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said that Secretary Clinton trusted Cheryl to give her honest advice.

Helping with Food Security

Cheryl Mills helped lead the State Department's efforts to fight hunger around the world. This program was called Feed the Future. She also worked on diplomacy and development in Haiti. She worked closely with USAID and other government groups.

Mills also served as the United States' representative on the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). This group helped Haiti recover after a major earthquake. She explained that food security is very important. She said, "We are always worried whenever people can't feed themselves. And particularly worried when that actually might translate to destabilization of a country."

Work in Haiti

In January 2011, Cheryl Mills helped announce a big project in Haiti. She joined Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and others to start building the Caracol Industrial Park in Northern Haiti. This park was expected to create many jobs.

Mills has a special connection to Haiti. She said, "I feel a special connection to Haiti and the Haitian people. The power of Haitian heritage and the strength of the Haitian people is tremendous." When the Caracol Industrial Park officially opened in 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Mills. Clinton called her "a real driver of our government’s support for everything that we see here today."

BlackIvy Group

Cheryl Mills founded and is the CEO of BlackIvy Group. This company focuses on building and growing businesses in Africa. She has worked with leaders like Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solís on business projects.

Other Activities

Throughout her career, Cheryl Mills has been involved in helping communities. In 1990, she worked with DCWorks, a non-profit group that helped high school students. She has also served on the boards of several important organizations. These include the See Forever Foundation, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. She also served on the board of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Foundation.

In 2010, the University of Virginia gave Mills its Distinguished Alumna Award. This award recognizes successful former students.

Mills has often talked about women in the workplace and balancing work with family life. She shared that seeing Hillary Clinton balance her career with being a mother helped her. Mills said, "Being able to see her [Clinton] with Chelsea, see what their relationship was like... all those things helped you to be thoughtful about how to be an effective parent yourself."

In March 2014, Elle magazine honored Cheryl Mills. They included her on their annual “Women in Washington Power List.”