By Whitney Baxter
Serving as her high school’s FFA chapter president and participating in marketing and communications-related FFA competitions made Jackie Miller realize she wanted to begin her studies in communications.
“I realized I am at my best when collaborating and connecting with others,” she said.
That spirit of collaboration led to Miller, a graduating senior in agricultural communication, being selected for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council Leadership and Innovation Award. The award recognizes graduating seniors who have shown innovation and creativity in leadership roles.
A native of Maquoketa, Iowa, Miller said she “took her own path” as an Iowa State student in terms of classes and student organization involvement. She spent the 2023-24 academic year studying at Oklahoma State University through Iowa State’s National Student Exchange Program. Miller said she appreciated the networking opportunities and different perspectives on agriculture gained through the experience.
This semester, she participated in the Next Gen Innovation Impact Study internship, researching innovative agricultural products while learning to market the innovations to various target audiences.
“This experience has aligned with my interests and helped me realize how fortunate I am to live in a prospering and developing agriculture state, such as Iowa,” Miller said. “I’ve enhanced my innovation skills through the internship.”
She has also been involved with the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), through which she developed and presented a biosecurity solution at the 2023 National NAMA Conference and competed in the 2024 NAMA individual sales competition.
Marcie Fahn, NAMA advisor, said Miller would “jump right in” when researching products the team was evaluating. When the final product was selected, Miller was instrumental in defining its niche market.
“Her interest and passion for the product turned into true expertise that helped the team advance to the final round of the Agri-Marketing Competition, placing sixth out of 30 teams,” Fahn said. “Jackie is curious, she dives in, she has a passion for learning and making advancements, and she reflects. All of these attributes will be an asset to her, her teams, and society as she continues on in her career.”
Miller took the marketing skills she gained in NAMA and applied those to internships at Iowa Select Farms, Vermeer Corporation and Elanco Animal Health. Specific roles she held at those internships included event promotion, product marketing and retail sales.
“I strived to have a diverse set of internships to help navigate my future career, and my internship experiences did just that,” Miller said.
Thanks to her internship with Elanco this past summer, Miller will join the company as a U.S. farm animal retail sales representative and will be based out of Stillwater, Oklahoma.
“This role is the perfect fit for me,” she said. “It will provide me with a challenge, yet allow me to connect, understand, and add value to my accounts to optimize their animal health sales strategies.”