In 1955, she and her future husband, Asa Grant Hilliard III, graduated from Manual High School.
She continued her education at Los Angeles State College in 1956 while working as a playground supervisor for the LA school system.
In 1975, Hillard was the first African-American women to work as a board member for the South San Francisco Unified School District.
[citation needed] Hilliard has collaborated with a variety of groups throughout the course of her career, including the East Point Business Association, the Superintendents Advisory Board of the Fulton County School District, the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club, the Atlanta High Museum of Art, and the DeYoung Museum of Art.
Hilliard has earned many honors, including the SCLC's Drum Major for Justice Medal, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Torch Award, and Alpha Kappa Alpha's Public Service Award.