Before taking over the leadership of Metropolitan Business League, a nonprofit association that supports small, women- and minority-owned businesses in Richmond, Miller worked in human services, education and criminal justice and spent 17 years as director of urban programs for Special Olympics Virginia.

Those seemingly diverse jobs shared one commonality: They all gave him the chance to give back.  “I’ve always wanted to be in a role with the opportunity to serve,” says Miller, a New Kent County native who earned degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University. 

Since 2017, Miller has overseen major growth at the MBL, with membership swelling from 150 businesses to more than 900. The league’s operating budget also has grown by 50%, which maximizes its ability to help small businesses, he says. During the pandemic, MBL distributed more than $1 million in critical grants and microloans that helped many local businesses remain afloat.