Currently Executive Director of the National AIDS

Currently Executive Director of the National AIDS Committee (NAC), her involvement with HIV and AIDS and related issues is due in part to her concern for children who were living with or affected by HIV. Initially, she discovered that medication for the management of HIV was expensive and felt that something needed to be done. She therefore formed AID the Children, a charitable organisation that raised funds to purchase medication for children. With the introduction of the Global Fund, medication for persons living with HIV and AIDS became available at no cost, but Miller knew she wanted to continue working in the field because of her vast knowledge of local HIV and AIDS statistics and trends.

Her involvement with the NAC has been extremely rewarding, serving as a platform for a range of interventions and affirmative actions which ultimately allow her to touch the lives of a wide range of actors in positive ways.

"People are no longer dying from AIDS; it can be managed," she said.

Despite this achievement, she believes that for the NAC to achieve real progress, a number of significant obstacles need to be overcome. These involve challenging aspects of the Jamaican culture to remove harmful gender stereotyping as well as stigma and discrimination which impact negatively on HIV and AIDS prevention and transmission.

Miller is cognisant of the number of gender issues which must be addressed and believes that it is important for women to be made aware that their physiological make-up puts them at a greater risk for HIV transmission than men. She recommends the use of gender-specific messages which focus on proper preventative methods and contraceptive use as being particularly important for women.

As a visionary leader, she is flexible and open to varied worldviews.

"I think I am the type of leader that can lead from in front or behind, directly leading the team or providing support when it is needed," she said.

She values the opinions of her associates and wherever possible she will solicit and incorporate their input. She knows that at times it is impossible to accommodate everyone, but she makes it a priority to optimise as best she can, so that everyone's contribution is included.

Miller underscores the relevance of teamwork and inter-agency cooperation as critical components for success and sustainability. She therefore identifies her greatest challenge as the ability to find creative ways to maximise the output and reach of the NAC which has extremely limited resources. She believes that there is much work to be done in many areas, and that strategising is necessary to ensure efficiency and value-added delivery of services so that the public can be sensitised and assisted.

She encourages young persons with a passion for helping others to volunteer with the NAC. She believes that volunteerism is a wonderful activity that provides hands-on training and invaluable experience. She also invites persons who are trained in the areas of administration, and programme management to come on board. While she does not rule out any other disciplines, she firmly believes that all the necessary skills can be learned from other volunteers and willing mentors.

With a deep interest in spirituality, Miller enjoys singing and is an accomplished writer. She has published two books of poetry which resonate with aspects of our rich cultural heritage. The host of a monthly Saturday Soup, she invites "rich and vibrant experts" to her home to explore, inform and facilitate discussions on critical elements of the Jamaican heritage and culture.