By Taroue Brooks
Tell us about your education.
I Received a B.S. degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Received a M.S. and Ph.D degree in Cell and Developmental Biology. Studied at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Woods HOLE National Oceanographic Institute and Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Tell us about your company.
The AMEC Group, Inc. is an innovative new company that provides business consulting, training and employee development designed to enhance corporate growth. The goal of the company is to provide a full range of services to assist companies in securing federal government contracts, to enhance workforce needs in the industrial and commercial sector, and to develop creative strategies to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in generating alternative sources of revenue for financial stability.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
I am never satiated with the knowledge and skills that I have acquired – I am always seeking more and becoming an entrepreneur requires that learning and leadership development must take place continuously. Becoming an entrepreneur gives me the opportunity to think creatively without restrictions. Additionally, previously I found myself unsatisfied with a job that limited me to ordinary work largely due to a lack of resources. Becoming an entrepreneur provides an opportunity for tremendous freedom for creativity and innovation.
What does success look like for you?
Acquiring wealth and utilizing that wealth to make a difference in the lives of as many people as possible…to literally change the world.
How will your past experience in higher education impact your new career path?
Lessons learned: managing change is one of the greatest leadership challenges.
What advice would you give someone who wants to become an entrepreneur?
Understand your passions, seek advice from successful entrepreneurs, develop a plan and work your plan with integrity.
What motivates you?
Spirituality-reading scriptures and connecting with God daily
More ABOUT DR. ANDREA LEWIS MILLER
Dr. Miller has more than 20 years of experience in higher education with most of it working in executive leadership capacities. Before forming the AMEC Group, she was the first woman to serve as president at LeMoyne-Owen College. She also served as chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Dr. Miller was also Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Southwest Tennessee Community College where she was also responsible for strategic planning, institutional research, and SACSCOC accreditation. She acquired more than $15 million in grants and contracts over the course of her career to support research, curriculum development, and professional development activities in science and technology.
Prior to her leadership roles at community colleges, Dr. Miller spent several years in academic administration at four-year institutions. She served six years as vice president for academic affairs/dean of faculty at LeMoyne-Owen College, and as an assistant dean in the College of Human and Community Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dr. Miller earned a Doctorate of Philosophy and master’s degrees in Cell and Developmental Biology from Atlanta University and studied as a post-doctoral fellow at the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine. She also has spent summers engaged in biomedical research at the Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL), Woods Hole, MA and at Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL), Los Alamos, NM.