Natalie Miller is a longtime board member for Portland Workforce Alliance, where she has served as board president and member of the executive team.
Miller, the vice president for business development at Lee Hecht Harrison, specializes in talent management. She is also active in the Portland Human Resource Management Association, where she has been involved in youth-to-work initiatives.
Miller has played an especially active role recruiting and organizing volunteers to do mock job interviews and career workshops for high school students at the NW Youth Careers Expo and year-round on campuses. Her enthusiasm for supporting students has inspired scores of other caring professionals to do the same.
What inspired you to get involved with PWA?
NM: “My passion outside of developing people and helping organizations is helping students. That’s how I got involved in this. [Outside of PWA], I get to work with adults that are thinking about career options and what they want to be when they grow up and I realized, ‘Wow, if there was a way to do this for youth, gosh, that would be neat.’ That’s how I got connected with Kevin [Jeans Gail, founding director of PWA] through the HR association I volunteer for. Over the years, I have helped putting a board structure together, helped to write our bylaws, and just really helping the organization formalize this wonderful structure that we have [now] to support the students.”
What do you bring to PWA?
NM: “I’m sort of a builder – I love getting people involved and talking about PWA. I have a great network and I feel like I am always talking to someone. I absolutely love it – because when people come to a meeting, experience the Expo for the first time, volunteer, or go to a mock interview event, they’re hooked.“
How do I want to strengthen the organization & help us grow?
NM: “I think it’s all about expanding the circle of influence and how we can get bigger community involved.”
For more information about the PWA Board of Directors, go here.
For more stories on the PWA Board Members, go here.
Some quotes were edited for length and clarity.
