Alumni Council Spotlight: Randy Miller '81
This month we are shining the Alumni Spotlight on Randy Miller, Director of Training and Outreach for the Bucks County Commissioner’s Office, and Bucks County Community College Alumni Council Member.
Education: Bucks County Community College, Associate of Arts, Business Administration;
Delaware Valley University, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration;
Wilkes University, Masters in Business Administration.
Q: Can you tell us about your career journey?
My thirty, yes thirty year career began in 1987. I have been a part of technology advancements from typewriters (IBM Selectric) to Cloud computing, from formal Interoffice and Intraoffice memos, to communicating via text. Technology is evolving every day at a record pace. I have had the opportunity to be an educator most of my career, teaching people how to use the technology. The training provides both hardware and software applications. I learn the information and then introduce the technology to the workforce. The workforce then uses the technology to advance their understanding of the technology, and then advance their careers because of this technology.
Along with the technology training, I have an amazing daily opportunity to run dynamic projects, set up governance meetings, align inclusive programs and provide professional protocols to Commissioner driven events.
Bucks County Community College has absolutely provided me a firm foundation that I am able to use and “pull from” during my entire career path. BCCC was the catalyst that enables me to learn, understand, process, and then deliver the information. The words, “Launch Pad” come to mind. I am grateful for my BCCC experience.
Q: What does being an Alumni Council member mean to you?
One of my proudest moments is when I joined and received my Alumni Council pin. Bucks County Community College opened my mindset to learning, liberated me into a lifetime of learning. As an Alumni Council member, I enjoy seeing the creative ways the team is reaching out to and advocating for students, past, present and future. The Alumni Council provides a way for me to have a voice at the table by impacting students in economic situations, in development programs and in educational achievements of all students.
Q: Aside from your work with the Alumni Association, what do you enjoy in your free time?
My family is grown. My wife, Barbara (also a BCCC Alumna) is a manager with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. My son Tim is a commercial carpenter and is married to Olivia, and my son Zack is an ICU nurse. We enjoy family gatherings which are now extremely rare, but memorable.
Other organizations I am involved with include an organization that supports homelessness and families in need. Another organization supports homeless youth and provides Thanksgiving meals to veterans. And a third organization I am involved with runs two mission trips, one domestic and one international where the group “builds” in the community. So far, we have laid cinder blocks in Costa Rica, poured cement in Cancun and installed metal roofs on homes in Puerto Rico; all in communities that look socially and economically different than Bucks County. Through these trips, I realize people have much in common.
Q: Do you have any advice for current students or recent graduates starting their career journey?
Be resilient, meaning keep up with both your current market skills and look for skills you are or may be interested in learning. This educational and transformational learning will guide your current path and provide rewards in your future endeavors. Seek additional degrees, certifications, webinars, seminars, and networks. Branch out to people or groups that peak your interests. Occasionally stretch into something that may be uncomfortable and difficult to learn and then see if you embrace the stretch.
In closing, be encouraged to be authentic. Become a lifelong learner by getting started at Bucks County Community College. I never would have imagined that some classes that seemed difficult at the start were all foundational learning that I would draw from the rest of my life.
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