Gerald (Rusty) J. Hills, II is an American politician and educator in the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and was formerly the senior advisor to former

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Bill Schuette William Duncan Schuette ( ; born October 13, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd attorney general of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Senate in 1990 and for Governor of Mich ...

. Rusty Hills also serves as Chancellor and Founder of Holy Spirits Institute, a non-profit educational venture. His goal is to establish a quality, four-year liberal arts Catholic college, located in the Greater

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

area. The first class began in the fall of 2005. Prior to beginning the college, Hills spent almost two decades in public service and politics. He was twice elected unanimously to serve as Chairman of the

Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronald Weiser was elected chairman in 2021. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been el ...

. Before that, Hills served ten years as one of Governor

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he later worked for Business Roundtable, where '' The Hill'' ...

's chief lieutenants following Engler's electoral ouster of two-term incumbent

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American retired attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party, Blanchard previously served in the United ...

in November 1990. Before his government service, Rusty Hills worked for then State Party Chairman

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Abraham pre ...

, as Director of Communications, helping Abraham to re-engineer the renaissance of the Michigan Republican Party. Prior to politics, Hills worked as a reporter and anchorman for CBS and NBC television affiliates in

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and

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. Hills has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

, and he earned a Master of Government degree from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. Rusty is married to Carla Hills, and they have three children, Mary, Mike, and Katie.

External links

* http://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/gerald-hills * http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2006/Nov06/r110706 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hills, Gerald Living people Michigan Republican Party chairs Michigan Republicans Michigan State University alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy faculty Faculty University of Michigan faculty Year of birth missing (living people)