Board Member Howard Hills brings to the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education decades of experience as a constitutional lawyer and U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, alongside deep ties to the LBUSD community where his commitment to civic engagement first began as a student.

A member of the LBHS Class of 1970, Mr. Hills has deep, multi-generational roots in the Laguna Beach school community. His grandmother was active in the LBHS PTA in 1938, his uncle graduated from LBHS in 1942, and his two youngest daughters are alumni of Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School. His youngest daughter was a four-year MVP in LBHS soccer, and three of his grandchildren attended Top of the World Elementary School.

As a sophomore at LBHS, Mr. Hills founded and served as President of the LBHS Education Club, organizing faculty-sponsored field trips to study curriculum innovations at leading high schools in Orange County. A report he helped develop was later approved by the LBUSD School Board, establishing a program of student-initiated courses offered before and after regular instructional hours.

During his tenure as LBHS Student Body President (1969–1970), he led an anti-tobacco campaign, launched a student-led free speech debate program, and worked with cafeteria staff to transition the school menu toward more nutrient-rich, natural options.

Professionally, Mr. Hills served for more than 30 years as a federal constitutional lawyer. His career included eight years in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, during which he received the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Chiefs Commendation Medal. He later served as Legal Advisor in the Executive Office of the President, General Counsel of the U.S. State Department’s International Development Finance Corporation, and Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Pacific Islands strategic treaty negotiations. He also contributed to immigration and visa waiver provisions enacted by Congress and codified in U.S. law.

He delivered a lecture series on constitutional and treaty law for senior staff of key congressional committees, including Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Senate Foreign Relations, House Natural Resources, and House Foreign Affairs.

With his wife, Lura, Mr. Hills has dedicated decades to education advocacy and volunteer leadership. Together, they served for 18 years in PTA leadership roles in Washington, D.C., public schools. They have supported LBUSD for more than 25 years through advocacy, involvement in athletics and theatre arts, sponsorship of student participation in Drama Department trips to Broadway, and the establishment of scholarships recognizing exceptional student leadership and integrity.

Mr. Hills was elected to the LBUSD Board of Education in 2024 and served as Board Clerk from December 2024 to December 2025. He currently serves on the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance and the Ad Hoc Facilities Master Plan Committee (2025–2026).

Mr. Hills believes that high-performing school districts must continuously address emerging challenges, and that effective School Board governance plays a critical role in setting clear direction for the Superintendent to support classroom teachers and students in alignment with community expectations. His goal is to strengthen measurable standards of educational success by advancing strong governance practices and responsible Board stewardship of public education.

Mr. Hills remains active in scholarship and public policy dialogue. In 2026, he published articles examining the history of law on sovereignty and political status in the context of U.S.-Danish consultations regarding Greenland. He also delivered a lecture at a symposium sponsored by the Puerto Rico Statehood Commission at the U.S. House of Representatives on the history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to territorial incorporation and statehood, coinciding with the release of the second edition of his book, “Citizens Without a State.”