Board Member Spotlight
Julie Miller
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR CONNECTION TO SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.
BORN AND RAISED IN LAKE CHARLES, MY PARENTS, SANDY AND NOLAN MOORE ARE RETIRED EDUCATORS AND COACHES. I GREW UP GOING TO DREW PARK WHERE MY GRANDMOTHER, WILLIE LANRY, WAS THE DIRECTOR. MY FIRST JOB WAS WORKING FOR THE CITY OF LAKE CHARLES IN THE RECREATION DEPT AT DREW PARK. I ENJOY PLAYING SPORTS SUCH AS TENNIS AND GOLF AS WELL AS BEING OUTDOORS BIKING, FISHING, AND DUCK HUNTING. MY KIDS, DIETZ (28) GRAYSON (26), AND ROSAMOND (23), GREW UP INVOLVED IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION? WHAT WAS THE SPARK THAT MADE YOU JOIN AS AN ANNUAL MEMBER?
WE WERE TAUGHT TO SERVE OTHERS. IN WORKING IN BANKING AND REAL ESTATE, I SERVED ON DIFFERENT BOARDS AND ORGANIZATION TO BETTER OTHERS. IN 2014/2015, I BECAME INVOLVED IN THE “GOGROUP”. I PARTICIPATED AND GRADUATED FROM THE SWLA LEADERSHIP IN 2015. I WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY COMMUNITY. WHEN SARA ASKED ABOUT JOINING THE BOARD, I WAS INTRIGUED WITH THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA. WHAT A GREAT PROGRAM TO GET PEOPLE INTO THE WORKFORCE. THE AREA WAS GOING THROUGH AN INDUSTRIAL GROWTH SPURT. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY AND ATTRACT YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO SWLA AS WELL AS BRIGHTEN THE FUTURE OF LC SO MY CHILDREN WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK TO SWLA. SWLA IS A GREAT PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY!
Julie with her three children Dietz, Grayson, and Rosamond.
AS A BOARD MEMBER, I SAW THE POSITIVE IMPACT THE CF WAS MAKING ON OUR COMMUNITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING AN ANNUAL MEMBER TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM OF MOVEMENT AND GROWTH IN SWLA.
REFLECTING ON 2016, WHEN YOU INITIALLY BECAME A BOARD MEMBER, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY EXPECTATIONS OR HOPES YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD FOR YOUR ROLE?
PROUD OF MY ROLE ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO MORE. SARA AND HER STAFF ARE VERY INSPIRING. DURING THIS TIME ON THE BOARD, I CHANGED DEPARTMENTS AT JD BANK THEN I CHANGED LOCATIONS AND IN 2018 I CHANGED TO FIRST FEDERAL IN MARKETING AND THEN CHANGED ROLES IN 2022. I FELT I WAS ALWAYS CHANGING, LEARNING, AND GROWING. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT DUE TO THE HURRICANES, I SERVED AS CHAIRMAN FOR THREE YEARS INSTEAD OF TWO YEARS. PROUD TO BE THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE CHAIRMAN’S POSITION TOO. DURING MY TIME, MY INTEREST WAS IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ASPECT UNTIL OUR ATTENTION SWITCHED TO HURRICANE RELIEF IN AUGUST 2020. AGAIN, SARA AND HER STAFF WERE AMAZING AND INVOLVED AS WELL AS TAKING LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SARA’S EXCITEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT MADE MY POSITION MUCH EASIER. SHE WORKS WELL PUTTING TOGETHER A TEAM TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY.
WHAT STANDS OUT AS AN UNFORGETTABLE, FUN, OR SIMPLY MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FROM YOUR TENURE?
THERE ARE SEVERAL UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES. THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE DOG PARK DOWNTOWN. HOW ONE LADY SAW THE DIFFERENCE HAPPENING IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD BY THE DOG PARK AND MAILED A DONATION OF $1 OR $2 TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DOG PARK PROJECT.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, HEARING THE IMPACT THE SASOL GRANT MADE ON THE LIFE OF A YOUNG MAN, HIS MENTOR, AND HIS FAMILY! WOW! THAT WAS AN AMAZING IMPACT THAT MADE SOMEONE UNEMPLOYABLE LEARN A NEW SKILL (WELDER) AND THEN RECEIVE A GREAT JOB! GREAT FOR HIS FAMILY AND GREAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. A WIN WIN.
THE BETTER BLOCK PROGRAM – IS VERY INSPIRATIONAL WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW PEOPLE CAN DO TO TURN AN AREA OF TOWN AROUND. THE NELLIE LUTCHER CULTURAL DISTRICT IS WHERE WE HELD THE BETTER BLOCK PROJECT. IT WAS GREAT TO SEE LOCAL TALENT AND WHAT POSITIVE THINGS HAVE COME FROM THAT WEEKEND. THE NELLIE LUTCHER MEMORIAL PARK IS NOW LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE NELLIE LUTCHER CULTURAL DISTRICT. ACADIAN AMBULANCE BOUGHT AND RENOVATED AN AREA IMPROVING THE STREETSCAPE.
2020 WAS A ROUGH YEAR FOR SWLA BUT TURNED INTO MANY BLESSINGS AND FUTURE GROWTH FOR THE AREA. THE DONATIONS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WERE AMAZING. SARA TOLD US OF A PERSON MAILING $3 IN CASH FROM NEW YORK CITY TO HELP OUR AREA, AMAZING! SO MUCH MORE WITH THE JUST IMAGINE SWLA 50-YEAR MASTER PLAN!
WHAT ARE OTHER WAYS YOU LIKE TO BE PLUGGED INTO THE SWLA COMMUNITY?
I AM PLUGGED INTO OTHER AREAS IN SWLA THROUGH FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, FIRST FEDERAL CHANGE MAKERS VOLUNTEER GROUP, KREWE OF MYSTIQUE, LAKE CHARLES RACQUET CLUB THROUGH TENNIS LEAGUES, SUSTAINER OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF LAKE CHARLES, AND PROUD MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNNA. I ENJOY WATCHING THE MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMES!