Mills earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from IC in 1977. He served as an alumni trustee from 2000 to 2005. He was elected and has served as a charter trustee since 2007. Mills and wife, Betsy Huss Mills ’77, started the Mills Experiential Learning Fund in 2014 to give IC students opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations including BreakAways, internships, service learning, study abroad and student-faculty research. He challenged fellow trustees to match their commitment to the Mills Experiential Learning Fund.

In 2012, he retired after over three decades with Archer Daniels Midland Company, where he led strategic efforts globally in various senior roles, including vice president and chief financial officer. He served as CFO of Amryis Inc. until 2013 and currently provides consulting and advisory services to clients in the private equity, agribusiness, renewable products and financial sectors.

Former chair Joy French Becker ’67 retired in June after serving the Board with distinction since 1994, and as chair from 2007-2017. Susan Pratt ’80 is the new vice chair and Joan Mitchell DeBoer H’14 is Board secretary. Both are Jacksonville natives.