3 Things to Know: Jeremy Miller

3 THINGS TO KNOW: JEREMEY MILLER

Executive director of diversity, inclusion and belonging,YMCA of the Capital Area

1

Jeremey Miller graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2013. Miller credits his time in Tangipahoa Parish to opening his eyes to opportunities around him. Seeing an opening in the market for curated events, he started an entertainment business, Perphection Events, while in college. “Being raised in north Baton Rouge, it was all I knew—I didn’t know what else the world had to offer. Being in Hammond opened my eyes to different things, different people, different cultures and opened my mind to the world.”

2

Miller started volunteering at the YMCA during the pandemic. Raised by his grandmother, it’s important to Miller that he carries on the values she instilled in him—to look out for your neighbor. In late 2020, Miller and a friend took over a learning center in Zachary after the previous owner died from COVID-19. “I see myself as an entrepreneur. I feel like I can break barriers.”

FAVORITE THINGS:

ISTOCK PHOTOS

Dixie Maid Drive-In

“I grew up on these burgers, and it was within walking distance of my neighborhood growing up.”

Pilot’s license

“I don’t like driving, but I like being in the sky—I like the freedom.”

Strawberry Fanta

“I like the color red.”

3

The opportunity to work with children led Miller to the YMCA. While volunteering, Miller was pushed to apply for the executive director of diversity, inclusion and belonging position. While he understood the position’s mission, he initially wasn’t sure if it was a right fit for him. But after winning Volunteer of the Year with the YMCA and meeting CEO Christian Engle, he threw his hat into the ring. “My goal is to work for the kids and create something for the kids coming from my area, north Baton Rouge. I want them to know you’re more than they think you are.”

Virgin Islands

“It was really beautiful out there.”

Fried shrimp

“Pick up shrimp from Tony’s and then fry it up at home.”

CITY OF ST. GABRIEL

MAYOR: Lionel Johnson, Jr.

SPECIALTY: Municipal Government

FOUNDED: Incorporated 1994; City Designation 2001

5035 Iberville St., St. Gabriel 337. 642.9600 cityofstgabriel.us ON THE RECORD:

The only piece of Iberville Parish divided by the mighty Mississippi River, the city of St. Gabriel may be one of the best-kept secrets in the Baton Rouge region. Encompassing the communities of Sunshine, St. Gabriel and Carville and a population of 6,433, St. Gabriel is the fastest-growing and largest local municipality in Iberville parish. This small, 25-square-mile city was incorporated in 1994 and has been transformed from a primarily agricultural economy to one that is a beautiful combination of agriculture, residential, commercial and industrial.

OFF THE RECORD:

Mayor Lionel Johnson Jr. is the city’s second mayor and under his administration, St. Gabriel has added multimillion-dollar sewer upgrades, a new police department, a new senior center, improvements to streets, drainage and outdoor recreation, and several residential developments. A groundbreaking is scheduled for a new municipal building that contains a new council chamber and will serve as an emergency command center.

Motivated by the August 2016 and May and June 2021 floods that affected the City of St. Gabriel, Mayor Johnson is now enrolled in the 2nd Cohort of the Southern University Executive Ph.D. in Public Policy program at Southern University Baton Rouge. His dissertation focus is “An Examination of Flooding Policies, Consequences and Legislative Actions on Bayou Manchac/ Spanish Lake Watershed.” The mayor is expected to complete the program in Summer of 2023.