Karen (Childress) Miller ’06
Trustee
Education
B.S.B.A., Stephens College
About Karen (Childress) Miller ’06
Karen Miller’s career unfolded in three distinct chapters — each one rooted in community and shaped by the conviction that good governance and genuine connection can change lives.
She began in the restaurant business, working her way from dishwasher to bar manager before opening The Establishment in Columbia in 1983 — a neighborhood restaurant and bar she owned for eleven years. That chapter earned her Missouri Restauranteur of the Year in 1985 and taught her everything she would later apply in public life: how to listen, how to lead, and how to make every person in the room feel they belong.
In 1992 Karen ran for Boone County Southern District Commissioner on what she describes as a fluke — someone handed her an application between breakfast orders at her restaurant. She served for twenty-four years, overseeing a $55 million budget and building a reputation for integrity even when it wasn’t comfortable. She rose to serve as President of the National Association of Counties in 2003-2004 — representing over 3,000 counties and 300 million Americans — and completed Harvard’s Kennedy School Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. Government Technology Magazine named her one of its Top 25 Doers Dreamers and Drivers in 2008.
She earned her degree from Stephens while serving as commissioner — enrolling in 2001 partly because she believed in what Stephens was and wanted to help it thrive. She graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and taught the Entrepreneurial Leadership course as her senior capstone — a class on the skills no business school teaches but every leader needs.
In retirement Karen has continued building community. Her signature initiative Party with a Purpose brings women executives together intentionally — connecting those new to Columbia with the networks that help them thrive. Those gatherings have produced lasting legacies including a Nature School serving every Boone County fifth grader and an endowed nursing scholarship in memory of Nadria Wright. She is a past president of the Boone County Historical Society where she helped establish the organizational foundation of the Henry J. Hank Waters Digital Lab.
She is a Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge alumna and remains committed to helping women excel through networking and meaningful connection. Her honors include the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Athena Award 2011, the Boone County Hall of Fame 2025, the Show Me State Games Gary Filbert Hall of Fame 2014, and the 2026 Jean Clinton Roeschlau Alumni Service Award from Stephens College.
Karen lives on West Broadway in Columbia with her partner David Brown.