August 13, 2018
Miller selected as American Indian Graduate Center's student of month
Vernon Miller, graduate student in the College of Education's counseling and student affairs program and graduate teaching assistant, was recently selected as the American Indian Graduate Center's student of the month.
From Macy, Nebraska, Miller is a member of the Thunder Clan from the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa. His leadership is crucial to both local organizations — he recently served as president of the Omaha Nation Public Schools Board of Education on the Omaha Indian Reservation — and at the national level where he served as an adviser to the Obama Administration.
Doris Wright Carroll, associate professor of special education, counseling and student affairs, said Miller is conscientious and capable student and professional.
"Vernon is a passionate and dedicated leader committed to social justice and equity who brings an important lens to our program," she said. "It's no surprise he has received this prestigious award as it is simply the latest evidence of his impact and serves as a wonderful tribute to his exceptional work."
Miller was selected to participate in one of the most prestigious and competitive internship opportunities this summer with the Association of College and University Housing Officers International. He served as a head resident of a residential hall at Cornell University, which provided participants with invaluable real-world work experience that can be applied to their current coursework.
In 2016, Miller completed a three-year term where he was elected to the Omaha Tribal Council in November 2013. In November 2014, Miller was elected as the tribal chairman of the Omaha Tribe, where he was a member of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association and Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board. Miller concurrently advised the Obama Administration while serving on the Tribal Interior Budget Council for the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Tribal Technical Advisory Council, the National Institutes of Health Tribal Consultation Advisory Council, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee. In addition, Miller sat on the executive board of the National Congress of American Indians. Miller also is a National Racial Equity and Healing fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, an Americans for Indian Opportunity 2010-11 ambassador, and a 2016 fellow with the New Leaders Council: Omaha Chapter.