RISING STAR
Maj. Nicholas R. Miller: Honoring the fallen behind the scenes
Name: Maj. Nicholas R. Miller
Age: 31
Organization: Arlington National Cemetery
Title: CIO
Nominated for: Overhauling Arlington National Cemetery’s IT strategy to address critical information assurance problems and develop systems for managing daily operations.
First IT mentor: Army Col. Maureen O'Connor, my boss in Iraq from October 2005 through October 2006. She reached out to me and provided the mentorship a junior military officer deserves; I am truly indebted. She taught me that the network and the systems on it are designed to support the soldier.
Latest accomplishment on the job: I'm very proud to say I work at Arlington National Cemetery! The opportunity to contribute to the families of our fallen heroes is likely our nation's most humbling mission.
Career highlight: I previously served as a signal company commander for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, in charge of 60 soldiers managing the communications network and infrastructure across 45 combat outposts and forward operating bases in Afghanistan. It was an awesome responsibility and one of my career highlights.
Your advice for a government IT wannabe: Understand your customers and their business. Work hard, build consensus, and deliver products, not promises.
What you enjoy most about working in government IT: The opportunity to work with incredibly talented individuals working in support of soldiers around the world.
Three favorite job-related bookmarks: Arlington National Cemetery Research Tool, CIO.gov, Google.com
Dream non-IT-related job: Chairman of the Federal Reserve System
Read the next Rising Star profile or view the full list of winners.