Sources: Mark Miller, mark.d.miller@accenture.com;
and Brad Kramer, bradleyk@k-state.edu, 785-532-5606
Hometown connection: St. Marys
Photo available: http://www.k-state.edu/media/images/apr12/miller.jpg
Cutline: Mark Miller, left, receives the College of Engineering Professional Progress Award from John English, dean of the college.
News release prepared by: Tina Long, 785-532-3720, tinal@k-state.edu
Thursday, April 12, 2012
St. Marys High School grad recognized for career achievement
MANHATTAN -- A former St. Marys resident has earned special recognition from Kansas State University for career achievement.
In March, Mark Miller was among 10 alumni of the university's College of Engineering to receive the Professional Progress Award. The honor recognizes alumni for achievements within the first 20 years of their professional careers. Miller graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.
"I was humbled and honored to receive the award," said Miller, who now lives in Charlotte, N.C. "I never imagined when I graduated 20 years ago that I'd be back at K-State, walking across a stage again."
Miller, who grew up in St. Marys, was always a Wildcat fan, but checked out other universities before making his college decision.
"I looked at other schools, but K-State impressed me," he said. "It was one of only three schools in the nation to have won a national engineering competition. K-State also had more Fulbright and Rhodes Scholars than nearly any other public university. There was something special going on in Manhattan, and I wanted to be a part of it."
While at K-State, Miller developed strong friendships and benefited from an industrial engineering program that prepared him well for the work force.
"The emphasis on teamwork and multidiscipline problem-solving proved to be of tremendous value not only at the beginning of my career, but even today," he said.
After graduating, Miller joined Accenture, where he worked with a variety of clients, including Western Resources, Santa Fe, Yellow Freight, Sprint and AT&T. In his nearly 20 years with Accenture, Miller has held a number of leadership roles.
He is currently the lead solution architect for the Communications, Media and Technology Operating Unit in North America. In this role he works with clients to develop industrialized support models for information technology and has been responsible for more than $1 billion in services over the past five years. Two patents are under consideration based on Miller's work.
Miller has remained involved at Kansas State University through on-campus recruiting and classroom presentations. He also has helped Accenture fund the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Computing Lab, the College of Engineering Leadership Lab and the career and employment services workstations. He is a current member of the department of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering's Advisory Council and a College of Engineering Seaton Society member.
Miller is the son of Dennis and Mary Miller, St. Marys, and a graduate of St. Marys High School.
