Athletic department welcomes Kimberly Miller
During her last semester at High Point University, before receiving her master’s degree, Kimberly Miller was offered a job working 300 miles away at American University in Washington, D.C. Despite the obvious challenge of commuting, Miller took this obstacle head on while she continued to play competitive softball on both a local and national scale on the weekends. She also worked a part time job at Bank of America.
“It taught me that anything you want to achieve, you can achieve it,” Miller said. “You just have to be motivated to do it.”
The determination she had to continue her education while working two jobs only scratches the surface of Miller’s tenaciousness. Her love for sports management has been present since high school and has only grown from there. Miller studied sports management for her bachelor’s degree, sports studies for her master’s and education with an emphasis in sports management for her doctorate.
“I have a passion for sports management, a passion that I can’t get rid of, which is good,” Miller said.
Miller was hired to the Augustana athletics staff for the position of associate athletic director for compliance and women’s senior administrator. Miller began on Jan. 4 after Ann Traphagen retired last fall.
In her new administrative role, Miller works with making sure the university is compliant with federal and state athletic guidelines as well as NCAA and NSIC guidelines.
Athletic Director Josh Morton said Miller has “a commitment to competitive excellence, not only in the compliance world but as a leader.”
She will also help Augustana with transitioning to DI, which will be a two-year process. At her prior institution, Shaw University, Miller was instrumental in the transition from DI to DII.
“One thing that I love to do is enjoy what I am doing and have fun,” Miller said. “Every once in a while, you’ll see me running around the office dancing or something like that. I definitely look at it as a career and not as a job, so I enjoy what I do.”
Like most of the world, Miller has picked up new skills while working remotely during 2020. Through her appreciation for Yankee Candles, Miller was inspired to try her own hand at candle making. This creative outlet helped her stay busy during a time when she would normally have been investing time in traveling for NCAA and NSIC events.
In addition to her experience in the administrative side of sports management, Miller is also an experienced professor. She was the coordinator for the sports management program and served on the academic appeals committee for Elizabeth City State University. Miller is currently teaching two courses remotely—Sports Events Management and Business in Sports—this spring through Spalding University.
Miller is family oriented and admits she might even talk to hers a little too much.
This past Christmas, she gave her family members Amazon Echos to keep in touch more easily. On her desk are two framed pictures of her father and aunt. Her family knows her as a traveler, especially in recent years having moved frequently for job opportunities.
Sports management has taken Miller across the country. Miller said she has visited every state for conferences or programs.
For Miller, small institutions are the best employment opportunities because she is able to build personal relationships with student athletes. At Shaw University, she was asked to coach softball for a six month period, which turned into a six year gig. Miller found the experience valuable because she is now able to look at certain situations through a coach’s perspective instead of an administrative lens.
Even in the face of Sioux Falls’s harsh weather patterns, Miller has already participated in many community activities both on and off campus. Her goal-oriented work ethic combined with her groovy dance moves means Miller is quickly impacting the Augustana community for the better, according to Morton.
“She’s already made a difference,” Morton said. “She’s great to have around in the office. She brings great experience. I look forward to working with her over the next few years.”
