“I support a variety of different projects, all of which sort of center on supporting an agency, or a team, or a person in doing something that makes lives better for people with brain injury.”

Professionals in Our Community

Meet Kelly Miller, NASHIA Senior Manager for Technical Assistance

By Christina Eichelkraut

Among the many agencies and organizations that make up the brain injury survivor community, few are more foundational than the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators, or NASHIA.

The organization is the lynchpin that connects state employees who support public brain injury programs to partner organizations, federal contacts, and other partners, all while also being a leading source of information and education. NASHIA also gives state governments and their partners technical assistance.

Since June of last year, Kelly Miller, senior manager for technical assistance, has been one of the people who ensure all those complex pieces fit together.

For Miller, who has a master’s degree in social work and whose background includes working in the child welfare and probation system in supervisory roles, including juvenile justice, becoming a brain injury professional is a bit of a surprise.

“It was sort of a situation where the stars aligned,” Miller said.

Her son was in kindergarten, and she realized the long commute over a Colorado mountain pass to her job in criminal justice was no longer tenable.

After looking for a new opportunity that was also a good fit for her life, Miller became a project manager for MINDSOURCE, Colorado’s lead state agency on brain injury.  Though the position started as only part-time, she was interested in the work, and it seemed likely her hours would increase.

“It was kind of a leap of faith,” Miller said.

It turned out to be the right call.

“And it ended up being such an amazing learning experience,” Miller said. “I ended up being fascinated by everything and overwhelmed by everything at the same time.”

While working with MINDSOURCE, Miller got to know a number of people from NASHIA. When the organization had a position open up, they asked her to join.

Still a bit new to the field, Miller was surprised but also flattered and excited by the opportunity.

“I was like, ‘Me? I just started doing this,'” Miller said. “But I was just really honored by the invitation to join the team.”

Mulling it over, Miller quickly warmed to the idea.

“I just felt like the NASHIA work, being a broader focus and getting to work with people across the whole United States and being able to support people really appealed to me,” Miller said.

Miller has lost no time in educating herself as much as she could about every facet of brain injury. Often, she can’t help but notice how pervasive brain injury is in society and is amazed it wasn’t more integrated into her criminal justice work.

“When I think about things now, having worked in child welfare and the criminal justice system, it just is mind-boggling to me that they don’t get specific training around brain injury awareness, let alone how do you support someone with a brain injury,” Miller said.

Miller can’t help but notice parallels between the challenges brain injury survivors and people exiting the criminal justice system face when re-entering larger society: the ability to maintain a job, sustain healthy relationships, and the risk of self-medicating with substances to treat loneliness or depression.

“Now that I know this, it feels like it was such a miss not to be informed about brain injury in that criminal justice world,” Miller said.

That perspective, however, has also enabled her to spot an opportunity to expand brain injury awareness to places it can have greater impact.

Though she still feels like there’s a lot to learn, Miller is certain she can use her past experience to be effective in her new role.

“I like being able to share my experience,” Miller said. “It’s kind of unique to be in a role where the child welfare experience and the criminal justice experience are applicable. It’s nice to be able to bring that perspective to the brain injury community and then try to get it back out to the child welfare community and the criminal justice community.” 

For now, Miller’s soaking up as much information as she can about the national landscape and putting her experience and new knowledge to work.

“That’s one thing that excites me about being with NASHIA,” Miller said. “Educating people with information that equips them to be better positioned to help others. Because nobody put it on my radar, and I wish they would have.”

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.