Erica Farmer-Miller receives Harlan County Chamber President’s Award
HARLAN, Ky. – Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Erica Farmer-Miller was honored Thursday with the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce President’s Award, recognizing her commitment to the chamber and the Harlan County community.
Farmer-Miller, a recruiter and adviser at Southeast’s Harlan Campus, is a Harlan County native, Southeast alumna, and longtime advocate for the people and communities the college serves.
Dr. Lee Harrison, chancellor of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College said, “Erica cares deeply about our students and about the communities we serve, and she demonstrates that commitment every day through her work and service. We could not be prouder to see her recognized by the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce for the difference she continues to make in Harlan County.”
Farmer-Miller previously received the chamber’s Customer Service Award in 2019, but she said receiving the President’s Award felt different.
“I feel very honored by it,” Farmer-Miller said. “I feel like it’s my duty to do the best job I can do, whether it be vice president of the Harlan County Chamber or here at work. You know, I give my all.”
When she learned she would receive the award, Farmer-Miller said she was stunned.
“I was floored. I was absolutely so surprised,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. Still can’t believe it.”
In addition to her work at Southeast, Farmer-Miller serves as vice president of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce and is active with several community organizations, including Cumberland River Comprehensive Care Center, Boys & Girls Club of Appalachia, and Harlan County Community in Action.
Brandon Pennington, Executive Director of the Harlan Center and Harlan Chamber of Commerce board president, praised Farmer-Miller for the same spirit of service she brings to her work at Southeast.
“Erica is the kind of leader every organization hopes to have,” Robinson said. “Through her work at Southeast, she helps students recognize their potential and discover opportunities for their future, and she brings that same genuine care and commitment to everything she does in our community.”
Pennington said Farmer-Miller’s service to the chamber extends far beyond holding a leadership title.
“As vice president of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce, Erica doesn’t simply lend her name to our organization. She rolls up her sleeves, takes initiative, and consistently asks what she can do to help us succeed,” Pennington said. “What I admire most about Erica is that her leadership has never been about recognition. It’s about people, possibilities, and making a difference.”
For Farmer-Miller, much of that service happens outside the spotlight.
“What people don’t see behind the scenes is a lot of late-night evenings because I have to work around everybody else’s schedule,” she said. “My job is Monday through Friday, 8 to 4:30, then working 6 to 9 in meetings, traveling to other counties for meetings, and not getting home until 8 or 9 at night. What people don’t see behind the scenes is what work goes on to help other people.”
Her commitment to helping others is rooted in her own experience growing up in Harlan County and attending Southeast. Farmer-Miller said faculty and staff members at the college saw her potential and encouraged her, even during challenging times.
“When I came to Southeast, the faculty and staff took time with me,” Farmer-Miller said. “They knew I might have had a bad semester or had something going on, but they saw my potential. They knew I was capable of doing better. We don’t give up on our students.”
Today, Farmer-Miller works to provide that same encouragement to Southeast students while extending that spirit of service into the broader community.
Her commitment to others has taken on an even deeper meaning following the recent loss of her father. Farmer-Miller said she believes he would want her to continue living fully and helping others.
“Dad would want me to enjoy my life and live it fully,” she said. “And I do that really by just helping others, helping businesses, and doing all I can for who I can. My goal for the rest of my life is really just helping my neighbor, doing the best I can do at what I can do.”
Farmer-Miller said she does not view the President’s Award as hers alone. Instead, she sees the recognition as a reflection of the people who have supported her along the way and the Harlan County community she has spent much of her life serving.
Pennington said that commitment has made an impact throughout the community.
“Our chamber is stronger because of her, and Harlan County is a better place because of people like Erica who believe in its potential and are willing to do the work to help it thrive,” he said.
