Cheryl Mills

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Cheryl D. Mills (born 1965[1][2]) is an American lawyer, administrator, and corporate executive. She is most known for being deputy White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton, whom she defended during his 1999 impeachment trial.[3] She works for New York University as Senior Vice President.[3] She serves as general counsel for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign[4] and is considered a member of "Hillaryland".[4]

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[edit] Early life and education

Mills was the daughter of a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army,[5][6] and accordingly grew up on Army bases all over the world,[6] including Belgium, West Germany, and the U.S.[5] She attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland. Mills received her B.A. from the University of Virginia as in 1987,[3] where she was Phi Beta Kappa,[7] and her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1990,[3] where she was elected to Stanford Law Review.[3]

She worked as an associate at the powerful Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson;[6] while there, she represented school districts seeking to achieve racial integration per Brown v. Board of Education.[3]

[edit] White House counsel

She served as Deputy General Counsel of the Clinton/Gore Transition Planning Foundation after Clinton's 1992 election, and then Associate Counsel to the President in the White House[3] from 1993 on.[7] Until impeachment, she was little known to the public[8].

During the impeachment trial, the BBC reported that she was "widely regarded as the shining star of the defense team, and gave an effective presentation on President Clinton's behalf on the second day of defense arguments."[1] Other media outlets also viewed her work quite favorably.[9] Her presentation to the Senate focused on refuting the obstruction of justice charge and the House managers' claim that failure to convict the President would damage the rule of law.[1] Her summation became known for its endorsement of Clinton's record with respect towards women and minorities;[2] she said, "I stand here before you today because President Bill Clinton believed I could stand here for him ... I'm not worried about civil rights, because this President's record on civil rights, on women's rights, on all of our rights is unimpeachable."[2][5]

After Clinton was acquitted, Mills was offered the White House Counsel position when Charles Ruff stepped down, but she declined.[2]

[edit] Post-White House career

After leaving the Clinton Administration, Mills took a break from the practice of law; from 1999-2001, she served as Senior Vice President for Corporate Policy and Public Programming at Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Media.[3] By 2002, she was working for New York University.[10]

Throughout her career, the African American[8] Mills has been active in community service and civic affairs. In 1990, she co-founded and worked with DCWorks, a non-profit organization that supports the academic and social development development of underprivileged high school students of color.[3][6]. She serves on the Boards of the See Forever Foundation, National Partnership for Women and Families, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Center for American Progress and the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Foundation.[3] In the corporate world, Mills served on the board of Cendant Corporation.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "President Clinton's best defence", BBC News, 1999-02-10. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. 
  2. ^ a b c d Katherine Q. Seelye. "Chief Lawyer for White House Heads Back to Private Practice", The New York Times, 1999-08-09. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cheryl Mills. New York University. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  4. ^ a b Michelle Cottle. "Hillary Control", New York, 2007-08-06. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  5. ^ a b c Robin Toner. "For a Tough Clinton Lawyer, a Tough Decision to Leave", The New York Times, 1999-08-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  6. ^ a b c d David Von Drehle. "Mills: A Brand New Legal Star on the Rise", The Washington Post, 1999-01-21. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  7. ^ a b See Forever Board of Directors. See Forever Foundation. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  8. ^ a b "Defense Who's Who", The Washington Post, January 19, 1999. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  9. ^ Tim Graham. "Cheryl Mills: Liar, Obstructor...Heroine?", Media Research Center, 1999-01-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  10. ^ Karen W. Arenson. "Cabinet's New Look at N.Y.U.", The New York Times, 2002-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 

[edit] External links