Cheryl Mills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheryl D. Mills
29th Counselor of the United States Department of State
In office May 24, 2009 – February 3, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Secretary of State	Hillary Rodham Clinton
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
Secretary	Hillary Rodham Clinton
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 (son of Pete 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. She helped defend him during a special hearing in 1999.

Later, she worked for New York University and was a senior advisor for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She was a key advisor to Hillary Clinton, a group sometimes called "Hillaryland". Cheryl Mills also 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, a company that helps build businesses in Africa.

Growing Up and School

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

She earned her first degree (a Bachelor of Arts) from the University of Virginia in 1987. She then went on to get her law degree (Juris Doctor) from Stanford Law School in 1990. While at Stanford, she was part of the Stanford Law Review, a respected legal journal.

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 Brown v. Board of Education court decision.

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 a lawyer helping the President.

She became more widely known during the special hearing for President Clinton. The BBC reported that she was seen as a "shining star" of the defense team. She gave a strong presentation on President Clinton's behalf. Her speech focused on showing that the charges against him were not true. She also spoke about President Clinton's positive work for women and minorities. She 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, Cheryl Mills was offered a higher position as White House Counsel. However, she chose not to take the job.

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

At the Department of State

Cheryl Mills became a special advisor and chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January 2009. As a counselor, she advised 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.

Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said that Secretary Clinton trusted Cheryl Mills 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 initiative was called Feed the Future. She also worked on diplomacy and development in Haiti. She worked closely with USAID and other government groups.

She represented the United States on the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). This group helped Haiti rebuild after a major earthquake. Mills explained the importance of food security, saying, "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 the building of the Caracol Industrial Park in Northern Haiti. This project was a partnership with the Prime Minister of Haiti and other organizations. The park was expected to create many jobs.

Cheryl Mills has said she feels a special connection to Haiti and its people. She believes in "the power of Haitian heritage and the strength of the Haitian people." In October 2012, Hillary Clinton praised Mills at the park's opening ceremony. Clinton called Mills "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 works to build and grow businesses in Africa. She has also worked with the chairman of Sae-A, a clothing manufacturer, on projects in other countries like Costa Rica.

Other Activities

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

In 2010, her former university, the University of Virginia, gave her a Distinguished Alumna Award.

Cheryl Mills has also spoken about women in the workplace and balancing work and family life. She noted that seeing leaders like Hillary Clinton balance her career with her family life helped her think about being a good parent herself.

In March 2014, Elle magazine honored Cheryl Mills at an event called “Women in Washington Power List.”