Meg Miller

Age:  38 

Job title/company:  Executive director of resort operations, Northern Quest Resort & Casino. 

Education:  Undergraduate degree from University of Washington, graduate degree from Washington State University, and leadership training at Cornell University. 

Tell us about your career so far. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn the value of servant leadership while working in sales and marketing, public relations, strategic planning, operations, and business development. I have been careful in selecting each position I have been fortunate to hold to ensure that they align with my core values, which include integrity, gratitude, and hard work.  

Locally, I have worked at CAAR Construction, Precision, and Wake Up Call Coffee before starting with Northern Quest Resort & Casino in July 2013. My positions at Northern Quest have included director of sales and strategic partnerships, executive director of sales and marketing, and my current role as the executive director of resort operations. In this capacity, I am responsible for 14 food and beverage outlets, a four-star hotel and spa, resort sales, and retail.  

In addition to my work at Northern Quest, I am honored to serve on industry, nonprofit, and civic boards, including the Washington Hospitality Association, executive board of Visit Spokane, as the vice president of the Inland Northwest Community Foundation board, and on the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery’s funding and development committee.  These activities not only benefit the community, but my involvement fuels my soul.

What are your aspirations? I have always been fascinated by the flexibility and challenges that being an entrepreneur can provide. Each year that I spend improving my business acumen and leadership skills brings me closer to fulfilling this goal. 

Tell us about your mentor, or someone you look to for inspiration. I have two mentors.  My mother, Julie Seipp, taught me the value of education and hard work, setting an example that I still strive to achieve to this day. Professionally, Phil Haugen, the COO of Kalispel Economic Authority, is the person most responsible for my development and growth at Northern Quest. Phil inspires me because he approaches leadership as a coach; he motivates, sets a good example, is patient, honest, and a well-thought representative of the Kalispel Tribe.  

What generational stereotype do you feel strong about? People often believe that youth automatically disqualifies candidates for challenging or important positions. Growing up in a family of educators, I learned as a child that 80 percent of my success came through knowledge; attitude and skill were a relatively small part of the equation. In the business world, I have found that this paradigm changes and that 80 percent of success is attitude based.  If one has a positive attitude, the knowledge and skill required for any challenge is attainable regardless of age.  

Something interesting/random about yourself.  The glasses aren’t a nod to hipsterdom. I am a certifiable geek. When I am not enjoying the lore of Harry Potter and JR Tolkien with my family and friends, I can be found lounging in the house of Ravenclaw reading The Economist, Wall Street Journal, or New York Times.