Miller, Mary Ellen
Biography
A sixth-generation Iowan, Mary Ellen Miller attended Johnson County's last one-room schoolhouse and Kalona High School before graduating from Mid-Prairie High in 1961. She worked for 30 years as an administrator in the University of Iowa College of Medicine, while also purchasing and running a cattle farm in Washington county beginning in 1975. Miller later expanded her agricultural business to include a plant nursery marketed in three states, and also worked as a nonprofit fundraiser and consultant. A passionate conservationist, Miller has served as Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, president of the Iowa Nut Growers Association, and longtime board member for the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT). In 2015, Miller became the first landowner to commit to donating her property to SILT, ensuring it will be passed down via a long-term inheritable lease to a sustainable food farmer. Miller has also been involved in political organizations, including the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Metro Des Moines and the LWV's Upper Mississippi River Region Inter-League Organization. She was executive director of the 50/50 in 2020 project, which sought to equalize gender representation in Iowa elected positions.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Audio recording, December 5, 2019
Audio recording of a tribute to Iowa state legislator Betty Jean "BeJe" Clark composed and read by her friend Mary Ellen Miller. The tribute discusses a variety of topics, including: Clark's childhood; her role in opposing the legalization of pari-mutuel betting in Iowa; her mentorship of legislative pages on how to handle sexual harassment from male legislators; the legislative women's caucus; the transition away from six-on-six girls' basketball; her relationships with other women legislators, including Betty Hoffman, Pat Thompson, and Nancy Shimanek; and her Methodist faith.
Transcript, December 5, 2019
Transcript of a tribute to Iowa state legislator Betty Jean "BeJe" Clark composed and read by her friend Mary Ellen Miller. The tribute discusses a variety of topics, including: Clark's childhood; her role in opposing the legalization of pari-mutuel betting in Iowa; her mentorship of legislative pages on how to handle sexual harassment from male legislators; the legislative women's caucus; the transition away from six-on-six girls' basketball; her relationships with other women legislators, including Betty Hoffman, Pat Thompson, and Nancy Shimanek; and her Methodist faith.