A Minute with Deb Miller

SMPS: When did you join SMPS?
Deb: I joined SMPS in August of 2014.

SMPS: Are you a Wichita native? If not, where did you grow up?
Deb: I was born in Denver, Colorado. I lived there until I was 8. My father managed the Graybar Electric office in Denver. In 1964 he was transferred to Kansas City, where he managed the office. In 1969 he was transferred to Wichita to manage the Wichita office. I’ve been here ever since.

SMPS: Where did you go to college and what is your degree?
Deb: I attended Wichita State University and studied Industrial Engineering. I have both a B.S. and an M.S. in engineering.

SMPS: What are your hobbies?
Deb: I like to read, work in my garden and on house remodeling projects, and ride my bicycle. My favorite hobby is genealogy. I started looking for ancestors that came through Ellis Island, but I didn’t find any. What I did find was that some came over on Mayflower. I also found several ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War, this led me to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. They do a lot of service projects to support Veterans and their families, and promote the US Constitution.

SMPS: What is your favorite kind of music?
Deb: I like a little bit of everything, but my favorites are songs from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.

SMPS: And your favorite meal?
Deb: My favorite meal is anything Italian from Defazios. And chocolate – that’s a meal, right?

SMPS: What do you like about living in Wichita?
Deb: I love living in Wichita because it is a great place for families. The city is large enough to have all the things I need, and small enough to feel homey and friendly. You can get anywhere in about 30 minutes. I am a huge Wichita State University basketball and baseball fan.

SMPS: You say Wichita is a great place for families, can you tell us about yours?
Deb: I’ve been married for 34 years (to an engineer), and we have three grown children. They are all engineers that graduated from Kansas State. Our first grandchild is due this summer. I also have two dogs: a three year old Newfoundland that weighs 160 lb. and a two year old rescue Lab mix.

SMPS: Tell us a little about your position at K.E. Miller Engineering.
Deb: I am a project engineer at K.E. Miller Engineering, working on water, sanitary sewer, stormwater drainage and paving projects. I also do investigative engineering projects – such as water intrusion and drainage issues, storm damage and roof issues, and cause and origin investigations. I am the marketing POC, and attend Chamber of Commerce meetings.

SMPS: Where did you work before K.E. Miller Engineering?
Deb: I have worked at Wesley Medical Center (as a management engineer), Boeing Military Airplanes Company (as a weapons system analyst), corporate Pizza Hut (as the manager of Business Optimization), Koch Industries (as a pipeline leak detection engineer), and Spirit AeroSystems (as a design engineering manager).