The Women's Center has chosen Cheryl Mills, counselor and chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as the 2010 U.Va. Distinguished Alumna. Mills, a 1987 graduate of the College, will accept her award Feb. 19, when she will be on Grounds to speak at the Women in Leadership conference.
Women's Center Director Sharon Davie said the award honors women who have used their creativity, imagination and intelligence to make a difference in people's lives.
Mills' selection "really has to do with the whole trajectory of her career ... [and her] willingness to take chances and to bring excellence to every endeavor she undertakes," Davie said.
In her current position, for example, Mills not only supports the Secretary of State but also leads a State Department initiative on global hunger and food security. She is involved, therefore, in development and relief efforts in Haiti.
Additionally, Mills worked in 1990 with the nonprofit organization DCWorks, which supports inner-city minority students, according to a University press release. She also has been on the boards of "civic and charitable organizations," such as the See Forever Foundation, the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Center for American Progress, according to the press release.
Mills, who holds a law degree, started her career at a D.C. law firm before she became deputy counsel to former President Bill Clinton. She was later a senior vice president at Oxygen Media LLC, where she oversaw issues such as public policy and philanthropy.
Vice President for Student Affairs Pat Lampkin is a friend of Mills and said her dedication to the University never diminished, even after she left.
"From the time that Cheryl was co-chair of Resident Staff, it was very clear that she would make an impact," Lampkin said. "No matter how busy she has been - even in the Clinton White House - she has been willing to come back and participate in the life of the University."
Mills herself expressed gratitude for the award.
"I feel very privileged to be the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna award," Mills said. "My time at U.Va. provided me with invaluable experiences that have helped shape my career and my life. The award is a great honor, and I'm looking forward to spending the day down in Charlottesville."
Mills' acceptance speech will be a great opportunity for students to learn not only about her life experiences, as well as about current relief efforts in Haiti, Davie said. Seats are limited for the event, which will be held at Newcomb Hall Ballroom at 12:45 p.m.
Past recipients of the award include Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, former astronaut and current Engineering Prof. Kathryn Thornton, CBS News Anchor Katie Couric and Vivian Pinn, director of the Office for Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health.
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