Defying expectations and limitations is nothing new to Mandy Miller. Repeated promotion rejections, working in a male-dominated field and earning a degree while working full-time all resulted in her two-word mantra: watch me. She stops at nothing to achieve her goals, serve her community and inspire the next generation of women.
Q: What inspired you to go into law enforcement after graduating from Wilson High School?
I knew college was not my thing. I am one of five children, and I didn’t want to burden my parents if I wasn’t going to like it, but I still wanted to make them proud and not get into trouble. My uncle was a highly decorated police officer in the NYPD, and he wrote a book about his career. Just reading about and listening to the stories he would talk about with the work he did in specialized units inspired me, so I went right into the Reading Police Academy. My first job was in the Juvenile Detention Center at 19, and then when I was 21, I was able to transfer into the Sheriff’s Office.
Q: You’ve risen through the ranks from the cell block to chief deputy before earning the title of sheriff. What was that journey like?
I started from the bottom and worked my way up in an industry that was not female-driven or female-friendly. Things are better now than they were, but walking through the cell block you have prisoners screaming and carrying on, whistling at you, and most men don’t think you can do what they can, even if they don’t outwardly say it.
Q: Did this ever affect your roles?
I was turned down for a promotion to captain six times, but I still never gave up. I always wanted my daughter, Mia, to have someone to look up to and understand to not give up just because somebody told you no or didn’t like you that day. This is a male-dominated profession, but I thought that if someone else could do it, then I could… You’re going to tell me no? Watch me.”
Q: That didn’t stop you, and neither did deciding to go to college. What inspired you to get your business degree at 46?
I woke up one day and decided to get my degree. I looked at different programs while trying to see where my life and job aligned. We have a $12 million budget that I’m responsible for, and with the structure of the organization — the employees, the department heads we work with and the public — the Sheriff’s Office really is a business. It just made sense, and I don’t do anything halfway. Looking back, I’m glad that I did wait [to get my degree] because going through these business classes, I was able to relate my everyday experiences with what I was learning.
Q: After working in the industry for 25 years, how has this role been different?
It’s been great getting out to meet the people that you serve in a positive way. To learn that there are people that genuinely appreciate everything that law enforcement does, it’s good to see. Being in this profession for so long, 90 percent of the people you come across do not like you. You’re around prisoners; you’re arresting people off the street, and people are coming in to file complaints. So, this has given me a different perspective.
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Advice from Mandy. “If it is meant to be, it will be. Keep pushing forward. As long as you know you gave 100 percent and you see your own worth, eventually, someone else will.”
Did you know? Mandy always has a DIY renovation project in queue. She has flipped entire houses and doesn’t let not knowing something stop her from watching a YouTube video and trying it.
