Tammy J. Miller to receive Honorary Doctorate at Minnesota State Moorhead Commencement Ceremony

Tammy J. Miller to receive Honorary Doctorate at Minnesota State Moorhead Commencement Ceremony

Minnesota State Moorhead will honor Tammy J. Miller, former Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota and retired CEO and Board Chair of Border States, with an honorary Doctor of Business (Hon. D.B. h.c.) at its 2 p.m. commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8, in Nemzek Fieldhouse. The university will honor Miller's business leadership, public service, and her advocacy for employee-owned companies.

Miller is a two-time graduate of Moorhead, earning degrees in accounting and a Master of Business Administration. She spent eight-and-a-half years in public accounting before joining Border States, now the sixth-largest electrical distributor in North America. She worked her way through various leadership roles, including accounting manager, corporate controller, vice president of finance, executive vice president southwest region, and president. Miller led the company's transition to 100 percent employee-owned through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2000.

Named CEO and board chair in January 2006, Miller led Border States to unprecedented growth from $485 million in annual sales to nearly $2.5 billion. She guided the acquisition and integration of eight companies and increased branch locations from 24 to more than 100.  Perhaps more impactful is the work she did to strengthen Border States' employee-owner culture, building wealth for employee-owners and growing the number of employee-owners from 744 to more than 2,600.

In 2007-08, Miller served as board chair of the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED). She was the first woman in NAED's 100-year history to serve as board chair.

Additionally, she is a true public servant, having served as the chief operating officer for the North Dakota Governor's office from April 2020 through 2022. She was sworn in as the 39th lieutenant governor of North Dakota on Jan. 3, 2023, and served through 2024.

Miller continues to advocate for the ESOP business model, regionally and nationally, to provide employees with the opportunity to work for the company they own, to change the trajectories of their families' lives, and to keep businesses local. She recently collaborated with others across the state to establish the North Dakota Center for Employee Ownership.

Miller received NAED's Distributor Distinguished Service Award, the Women in Industry Trailblazer Award, and the Arthur W. Hooper Award, presented to an individual with an exceptional career in distribution. She received two distinguished alumni awards from Minnesota State Moorhead, as well as the L. B. Hartz Professional Achievement Award.

This Honorary Doctorate in Business goes well beyond recognizing Miller's successes in business and public service. It speaks to her unwavering commitment to people and building a strong regional economy through employee ownership.  

"I am incredibly honored by this recognition. I've long believed that leadership is about creating opportunities for individuals and organizations to reach their full potential," Miller said. "My education and experiences at MSUM were foundational to my success and prepared me well to collaborate with others dedicated to expanding opportunities and sharing success."

Miller will be joined at commencement by her husband, Craig, and members of their family.

The spring 2026 commencement will also recognize the achievements of more than 600 graduates in two separate ceremonies. The graduate programs commencement ceremony will be on Thursday, May 7, at 6 p.m., and the undergraduate programs commencement ceremony will be on Friday, May 8, at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies will take place in the university's Nemzek Fieldhouse.