Women live longer than men so we have more time to achieve all of our dreams. Delayed doesn't mean denied.
Kimberly Miller, J.D. · In Her Own Words
In Conversation
Kimberly Miller for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
Read the transcript
Kimberly Miller, J.D.: Speaker: Kimberly Miller, Director of Community Development Programs, Girl Scouts of Gateway CouncilKimberly Miller: Never talk yourself out of doing anything,What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?Kimberly Miller: Being an influential woman means being able to share my story with others in the hopes that they will be able to use my experience to elevate and reach their goals.What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?Kimberly Miller: My one piece of advice that I would give to younger women as they chase their dreams is to have reckless abandon. Go after your dreams as big and as wide and as far as you can. When you're young, you have time to autocorrect. You have time to determine what you enjoy, what you don't enjoy, and the only way to truly know that is to be able to try different things. Never talk yourself out of doing anything, right? Apply for the job, go to the new city. It's interesting because I was just speaking with a young woman about this today. She's leaving the Girl Scout council, and she's going to New York City, the big city. And I talked to her about my experience in the big city and what it meant to me and my career path. I'm very thankful for that and thankful that I was able to pour into her and help her to determine what are the next horizons for my goals. And of course, of course, for all of us, we achieve our goals and then we're not sure what to do next. Where are we next? And that's when I say to look to other women that inspire you. Other women, whether. You know them in your local community, you follow them on social media and figure out how they got to where they are and say, is this really what I want to be doing and try it out, right? It's easier to fail fast than to spend time, years, decades even trying to get to a place that once you get there, you realize you don't like it at all. So I say, chase your dreams with reckless abandon, don't talk yourself out of any, any opportunity. And go for it.
Her Story
About Kimberly
Kimberly Miller, is a public affairs and youth development leader based in Jacksonville, Florida, with over two decades of experience spanning government relations, nonprofit leadership, policy strategy, and strategic communications. She currently serves as the Director of Community Development Programs for the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, where she leads community engagement initiatives, municipal partnerships, and program development efforts aimed at expanding access to Girl Scouting for girls across the region. In this role, she aligns organizational mission with external stakeholders, ensuring that programming is both accessible and responsive to community needs. Throughout her career, Kimberly has held senior roles across government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors, including serving as Director of Government Relations for Duval County Public Schools, where she managed legislative strategy and secured voter-supported funding initiatives for public education. She also worked as a legislative aide in the Florida House of Representatives and contributed to high-level public policy development and advocacy efforts. Her earlier legal training as a juvenile public defender further strengthened her focus on youth-centered systems and equitable outcomes. Kimberly holds a Juris Doctor from Florida State University College of Law, a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from Florida State University, and a Certificate in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with completion of Leadership Jacksonville. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Jacksonville Women’s Network. Her work is grounded in faith, mentorship, and a commitment to empowering young people, particularly girls, while strengthening communities through sustainable, mission-driven leadership.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kimberly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would definitely say my faith has really helped me to survive in politics, because I've been in politics over 26 years, and in the great state of Florida, which is not for the weak of heart. I think that really helped me to succeed and to be present where I am, right? Because often we're like, okay, you can achieve more, you can do more, you can go more places, but at the end of the day, what I found, even after I worked in DC and passed bills, it was very hard to come back home and see no progress had been made. So that's kind of when, like, maybe 2014, 2015, I was like, maybe the right next step is for me to go home and be able to affect my own community. So I think evaluating where you are and where you want to be, professionally and personally, is important. Like, I do mentor a lot of students as they're going through the process - do you want to go to law school? Do you not? Do you want to stay in politics? Do you not? But, like I was just telling a young man, I'm like, you want to have a family, and you want to be married, but you also want to run for council in Jacksonville, Florida - unless you live in Jacksonville, it's not practical. Sometimes we kind of envision what our life would look like without actually thinking about the steps that it takes to get there. I would definitely say mentors and having people that you can talk things through with is definitely a reason, is part of my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice came from my mom, actually. I was the first in my family to go to college, clearly first in my family to go to law school, and her motto was always, let them tell you no. Don't talk yourself out of it, right? Like, apply, they may take you If they say no, you accept it, but at least you can say you tried. It's served me very well, and I try to encourage other women who are at a crossroads. You know, my disability became more evident in the last five years or so, and I had to step back from lobbying, and that's when I came to Girl Scouts. Because lobbying is very physical - you're walking like 20,000 steps a day, trying to pass your legislation, and you do that, at least in the state of Florida, for 60 days straight. I think that kind of helped me, because if I had just said, okay, this is all I can do, I would not have explored this opportunity with Girl Scouts.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to set your standards high, and not to bend, if that makes sense. You know, because in the world of politics, many will try to lower your standards for their convenience, if that makes sense. Or you have to advocate for things that you don't believe in. And I think that's where we, as women, in the process, we have to say, this is my line, and I can't deviate from that.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the mental health of girls is far and away the largest challenge that we in youth development face. Because the social media, access to the phone, really impacts girls' mental health at a time when they're already feeling very vulnerable, right? You want to be perfect because that's what you see on TV. You don't realize that this person is airbrushed and nipped and tucked and all these other things, right? Because you're in 7th grade, and you think they just came out like that. Oh, no, girl, they was dorky in 7th grade, just like you are, right? But they don't know that. I think that's one of the large challenges for women in youth development right now - girls being able to realize their worth. Now, I'm thankful for the explosion of women's sports, and I'm very supportive of women's sports, because it really allows girls to realize that you are more than a pretty face. You can be pretty and strong. Or, as we say often, strong is the new pretty, right? Because you can use your body, you can be an athlete, you can do dance, you can do acting, but you know, you're more than your looks, if that makes sense. So I think that's the greatest challenge. And that's what I would encourage other women to really try to pour into the girls that are around them, because they have pressures that we would have never experienced. Like, I was bullied as a child, but the minute I left school, it was over. It wasn't like the person, my personal bully was in my pocket every week. Girls are saying 65% of girls say I have been bullied or have bullied, and I have depression and symptoms that I'm probably not diagnosed and don't want to talk to my parents about.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are faith, mentorship, integrity, community service, and maintaining high personal and professional standards. I believe in serving others, especially young people, and helping create opportunities that strengthen communities while staying true to my principles.
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