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The Question and Answer feature helps readers learn more about prominent people in the business community. This issue’s Q&A profiles Pamela Miller, a development director at Augustana College. She also serves on the board of directors for the Rape and Domestic Abuse Center and Downtown Rotary Club, on the city of Sioux Falls Charter Revision Commission and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Military Task Force.
 Pamela Miller is a self-described sports nut. (Photo by Inertia/for SFBJ)
Name: Pamela Miller
Title: Director of development,
Augustana College
Hometown: Luverne, Minn.
Age: 49
Background: Graduated from
Augustana College in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in government and international affairs; worked on political campaigns for Sen. Tim Johnson in 2002 and Rep. Stephanie Herseth
Sandlin in 2004; started at Augustana in 2003
Family: Husband, Doug; two daughters, Amber and Kamryn; one son, Zachary; two granddaughters
Q: Tell me about your interests.
A: “I’m a sports nut. I am a huge fan of Augustana basketball and football and in general love college sports. My daughter plays soccer and I manage her team, so I'm very involved with that. I enjoy being outside with family and friends, and we just got a puppy, so I enjoy taking him on long walks.”
Q: How did you become interested in your field?
A: “I discovered fundraising while working for Sen. Tim Johnson’s campaign. What I discovered is that if you believe strongly in something and have a passion for it, raising money for it can be very rewarding.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: “Meeting and getting to know people. I’ve always been a person who is intrigued about other people – what motivates them, what are their interests, who inspires them – so development work provides me the opportunity to meet people who share my affection for Augustana. I am inspired every day by people who want to help other people fulfill their dreams. Development work really allows you to help bring out the best in people.”
Q: The development team at Augustana has secured several large gifts in recent years – what’s the secret to success?
A: “I think the secret to success is having a vision that inspires people. I think people want to support an organization that is forward-looking and one that can adapt and change to meet the needs of, in our case, young people seeking a Christian-based education. And it helps to have great leadership, and Augustana definitely has that.”
Q: With a big campaign season under way, do you miss the chase?
A: “I love politics, and I always will follow the campaign trail closely. And I’ll do whatever I can to support Tim and Stephanie (Herseth Sandlin) because I believe in them. But campaign work is grueling and oftentimes it’s a 24/7 kind of job. I am just as passionate about Augustana. I believe I can make a difference doing what I’m doing, and it’s a much more family-friendly schedule.”
Q: What sparked your commitment to community service?
A: “My parents were always involved with church, school board and other community activities, so I learned from them. Plus, it feeds my need to network and meet new people.”
Q: What would you like to be remembered for?
A: “Probably for being the best I can be at my most important job … being Mom.”
Q: How do you find time to balance your job and your family?
A: “When my kids were younger, I looked for every opportunity to involve them in what I was doing, so my kids spent a lot of time campaigning. Now with my job at Augie, it’s a very family-friendly environment, so, in a sense, Augie has become family to all of us. It’s all about priorities, and those shift around a bit from day to day; flexibility at work and at home is the key.”
Q: What’s your favorite getaway?
A: “This may sound corny, but my favorite getaway is my own house. With a full-time job and kids and community activities, a day at home to do whatever I want, whether it be cleaning or relaxing, I love just being able to spend time at home.”
Q: If you could take a one-year sabbatical, what would you do?
A: “I would do volunteer work. There is no match for the feeling you get doing something positive to help others. I would love to spend more time volunteering at school, the hospital, the rape crisis center or a women and children’s shelter.”
Q: What’s something about you that people would be surprised to know?
A: “I’m a second-degree black belt in tae kwon do. I used to teach tae kwon do to about 30 to 40 students and competed in the national tae kwon do championships in Dayton, Ohio.”
Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?
A: “I like classic rock ’n’ roll, and right now I’m listening to Tom Petty and Green Day.”
Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
A: “Can I choose four? All four of my grandparents are gone, but they all played a very important part of my life growing up. I think I might appreciate them more now than I did when I was a kid. They were wise, kind, humorous, compassionate, hard-working people. What I wouldn’t give for one day with all of them.”
Q: What do you think are the best and worst things about living in Sioux Falls?
A: “The best thing about Sioux Falls is that it is becoming a vibrant, cultural and lively little city, especially downtown in the summer. The worst is the snow and the cold. I could do with a little less winter.”
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