Dave Mills was appointed to the board of trustees of Casey Family Programs in December 2007. Mills served many years as executive director and chief executive officer of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, retiring in May 2007. In this capacity, he directed the investments of the Wisconsin Retirement System ($90 billion), six small state-sponsored trust funds, and short-term cash management for state and local units of government.
Prior to joining the Investment Board, Mills held various positions of responsibility within the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds, including that of Deputy Secretary/Chief Operating Officer for 11 years.
In addition to his investment acumen, Mills brings to Casey Family Programs eight years of experience with the Department of Health and Social Services in Wisconsin, where he directed the state’s Bureau for Children, Youth and Families. There he oversaw such areas as foster care, adoption, prevention of child abuse and neglect, and childcare.
Mills has served on many boards including those of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and the Madison Children’s Museum. He was also a board member and national president of the National Council on Teacher Retirement and board chairman of the Summit Credit Union.
Mills received his B.A. in political science and his M.A. in public policy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His professional career began in higher education at UW–Madison and at Cornell University as assistant dean.