450 Expected to Graduate from MSUM Dec. 18

The Fall Semester commencement ceremony will take place next Friday, December 18th, at 2:00 p.m. in Nemzek Fieldhouse. 453 students have applied for graduation. More than half are expected to participate in the ceremony.

tammy-millerAlumna Tammy Miller will be the commencement speaker. She has a BS in accounting (1982) and an MBA (1996) from MSU Moorhead. She has received two distinguished alumna awards from her alma mater. Miller is leading MSUM’s Major Gifts Initiative to fund scholarships and the new campus wellness center.

Miller joined Border States Electric in Fargo as the accounting manager in 1991 and was appointed treasurer in 1992. She has been a Border States officer and member of the board of directors since 1996. She was named president in 2005 and board chair in 2006.

Since 2006, Border States’ sales have doubled to nearly $1 billion, profits have tripled, and the number of employees has increased from 735 to almost 1,300. Border States is the 10th largest electrical distributor in the United Sates with 57 branch locations in 13 states in the U.S. and in Mexico. Border States is 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Trust. The Company provides products and supply chain solutions to the utility, industrial, and construction markets and is headquartered in Fargo, ND.

In 2007-2008, Miller led the NAED (National Association of Electrical Distributors) as the Board Chair. Miller was the first female to serve as the Board Chair in the 100-year history of NAED. Additionally, Miller serves on the Board of Directors for Affiliated Distributors (A-D is the largest wholesale buying and marketing group in North America), the Board of Directors for the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, the Grant Thornton Business Leaders Council, and Chair of the Elite Distributors Insurance Captive (EDIC) Finance Committee. Miller also serves on a variety of community advisory councils.

In 2009, Miller received the YWCA Women of the Year in Business Award in Fargo, ND. In 2006, she was recognized as one of the most influential women in Fargo-Moorhead.