Carla A. Hills 2008 Medal for Distinguished Public Service

Carla A. Hills has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. The medal will be presented by Jack Ford, Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and son of Former President Ford at the annual dinner of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation on June 2, 2008 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC.

Pictured: Carla A. Hills

“In this, the second year, that the medal will be presented in memory as well as in recognition of the leadership attributes of President Ford, it is only fitting that the medal should be awarded to Carla Hills, an extraordinary individual whose long career in public service has placed patriotism before partisanship and who has demonstrated so many of the ideals championed by President Ford” said Jack Ford.

The medal is given annually to an individual who has served the public good in the private or public sector and was established by the Board of Trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in 2003. Previous recipients have been Alan Greenspan, Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, Betty Ford, the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces, Lee Hamilton, and James Baker. Foundation Board Chairman Emeritus, Martin J. Allen, Jr. noted that “the criteria for the recipient are based on characteristics that President Ford demonstrated in his public service. They include courage, strength of character, integrity, diligence and determination in the face of adversity, all of which have been characteristic of Carla Hills’ remarkable public service.”

“Our nation has benefited for many years from Carla’s distinguished service and unwavering commitment to the highest ideals of integrity,” said Ford

Ambassador Hills received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, her law degree from Yale University, and studied at Oxford University. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles from 1959 to 1961. From 1962 to 1974, she was a partner at Munger, Tolles, Hills, and Rickershauser in Los Angeles and also taught as an adjunct professor at UCLA. From 1974-75, she was Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice. In 1975, she was appointed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she served until 1977. From 1978 through 1989, Ambassador Hills was again a practicing attorney, and was chairman of the Urban Institute from 1983 through 1988. Ambassador Hills served as U.S. Trade Representative from 1989 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, in which capacity she was President Bush’s principal advisor on international trade policy. An advocate of free trade, she was the primary U.S. negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In 1993 she founded Hills & Company International Consultants, which provides advice on investment, trade and risk issues abroad. She was one of the founders of the Forum for International Policy and serves on a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards. Currently she serves as Co-Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations; Chair of the National Committee on US-China Relations and of the Inter-American Dialogue; Vice-Chair of the US-China Business Council, member of the Executive Committee of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and of the Trilateral Commission, and Co-Chair of the International Advisory Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She currently serves on the International Boards of J.P. Morgan Chase, American International Group, Rolls Royce, and the Coca-Cola Company and is a member of the Board of Gilead Sciences. She is also a former president of the National Association of Women Lawyers and of the Federal Bar Association.

The Gerald R. Ford Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation whose primary mission is to support the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum through historical exhibits, educational programs, conference, research grants and awards. In fulfilling its mission, the Foundation seeks to honor the principles and values demonstrated by President Ford throughout his public service career. The Foundation also seeks to educate the public about the unique history and significant events of the Ford presidency. Finally, the Foundation seeks to enhance public understanding of American history and government, particularly the presidency.