Native son, home again
Laguna Beach Independent · Craig Lockwood
Author
- Published:
- 2024-01-05
- Retrieved:
- 2026-05-17
January 2024 Laguna Beach Independent feature profile of Howard Hills, published before his November 2024 election to the LBUSD Board of Education. Covers his Laguna roots (grandparents arrived 1922; LBHS Student Body President 1969-70; Navy JAG; State Department general counsel; multiple White House National Security Council postings) and his return to Laguna Beach after Pacific Islands treaty work. Pre-election biographical baseline for the trustee.
Key points
- January 2024 Laguna Beach Independent feature profile of Howard Hills, published 10 months before his November 2024 election to the LBUSD Board of Education.
- Multi-generational Laguna roots: grandparents arrived in 1922; uncle Bob Hills left LBHS graduation in 1942 to serve in WWII; Hills served as LBHS Student Body President in 1969-70.
- Career covers law school, Peace Corps general counsel in Micronesia, Navy JAG Lieutenant Commander, and senior State Department / White House National Security Council legal postings.
- From 1978 to 1990, served as a U.S. legal expert shaping strategic treaties with the Pacific Islands nations of Oceania.
- Withdrew from the 2018 LBUSD School Board race after being recalled to Washington for a three-year White House-led Pacific treaty negotiation under both the Trump and Biden administrations.