NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mar. 7, 2023) – Kathleen Miller, assistant district counsel with the District Office of Counsel, is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month for December 2022. She is recognized primarily for taking on additional workloads in the month of December to ensure critical contracting milestones were met.
Lt. Col. Joseph Sahl, Nashville District commander, announced Miller’s selection, thanking her for “being such a great representation of all the experts we have in LRN” and “working behind the scenes with professionalism and a commitment to ‘getting it right.’”
A critical component of awarding contracts is timely and expedited legal reviews and coordination with the project delivery team.
During the month of December, the deputy district counsel served as acting district counsel for the Huntington District. This left the Office of Counsel shorthanded on counsel with both procurement and contracting law experience. The lack of resources could have potentially threatened the contract award process.
Miller, who is often described by colleagues as going the extra-mile, stepped up and applied her areas of expertise to fill the gaps. She coordinated, in advance, with Senior Contracting Official – Atlanta counsel on some contracting issues to ensure expedited SCO approval of critical contracting actions needed by the Nashville District.
Miller also worked diligently on contracts for the gates replacement projects at Wolf Creek and Center Hill, Old Hickory Turbine Generator Rehabilitation, and Moccasin Bend Streambank Stabilization, to name a few. Her determination and flexibility ensured crucial contracting milestones were still met, despite the gaps in manning.
Sahl reminded Nashville District employees, “While many of us were taking a well-deserved holiday break, Kathleen stepped up to scrutinize these critical contracting actions.”
District Counsel Jim Roth remarked, Miller “is no stranger to working hard,” adding, “[her] contributions have made a tremendous impact on the Office of Counsel.”
Miller, who is a two-time Employee of the Month awardee, is currently serving on a term assignment as the main Office of Counsel support for the Real Estate Division. Her main areas of practice are real estate and contracting law. She handles the majority of the contract formation issues for the Contracting Branch.
Miller began her career with the Nashville District in 2010. She was hired straight out of law school through the Chief of Counsel’s Honors Program. In 2016, Miller and her husband moved to Mobile, Alabama, where she joined the Mobile District.
At the Mobile District, Miller gained a considerable experience in procurement and contracting law. Roth credits this experience as key in Miller’s ability to take on responsibility for procurement matters for some of the Nashville District’s largest contracting matters. He has high hopes for Miller’s future.
“I’m sure Kathleen will eventually be a District Counsel somewhere in USACE,” he said.
Miller doesn’t just manage a challenging workload as an assistant district counsel. She also excels on the home front.
“I am the full-time manager of our family circus with three kids, who range in age from 2 to 6, with a new member arriving in June!” she said.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.
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