Mark Miller
Marc Miller is the Economic Development Director with the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce. Miller’s 25+ year career focuses on expertise in government, community and stakeholder engagement, coalition building, and policy work on outdoor recreation, natural resources, and economic development.
The Chamber acts as Manistee County’s Economic Development Organization (EDO), which is outsourced as a private-public partnership. Marc’s position focuses on economic development, attraction and growth; outdoor recreation and tourism; placemaking, housing needs; growing entrepreneurs; and building a collaborative environment and effective communications. Serving in this position for over the past three years, he has helped businesses expand, create jobs, attract investment to the county with new projects and developments. He has also assisted entrepreneurs and new business start-ups.
Marc previously served as the Outdoor Recreation Industry and Regional Initiatives Deputy Director for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. At DNR, Marc worked on the agency’s public engagement model and utilized outdoor recreation economics to show relevance and create partnerships with public officials and stakeholders. He created an advisory group of Michigan outdoor recreation business leaders and state agencies to focus on conservation, workforce training, economic development, and public health. It was the first such effort in the Midwest and established a path for Michigan to create an office of outdoor recreation industry in 2019. He also worked on other policy initiatives during this time, including the creation of an urban waterfront park in Saginaw, partnering with Saginaw County, RACER Trust, and other stakeholders.
Marc has held various high-level leadership positions across the Great Lakes region, including six years as the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and as a commissioner on the Great Lakes Commission. He also worked as the senior policy advisor on environment and natural resources for the Illinois Lt. Governor's Office and for the statewide river conservation group in Illinois, Prairie Rivers Network, as a watershed organizer.
The Chamber acts as Manistee County’s Economic Development Organization (EDO), which is outsourced as a private-public partnership. Marc’s position focuses on economic development, attraction and growth; outdoor recreation and tourism; placemaking, housing needs; growing entrepreneurs; and building a collaborative environment and effective communications. Serving in this position for over the past three years, he has helped businesses expand, create jobs, attract investment to the county with new projects and developments. He has also assisted entrepreneurs and new business start-ups.
Marc previously served as the Outdoor Recreation Industry and Regional Initiatives Deputy Director for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. At DNR, Marc worked on the agency’s public engagement model and utilized outdoor recreation economics to show relevance and create partnerships with public officials and stakeholders. He created an advisory group of Michigan outdoor recreation business leaders and state agencies to focus on conservation, workforce training, economic development, and public health. It was the first such effort in the Midwest and established a path for Michigan to create an office of outdoor recreation industry in 2019. He also worked on other policy initiatives during this time, including the creation of an urban waterfront park in Saginaw, partnering with Saginaw County, RACER Trust, and other stakeholders.
Marc has held various high-level leadership positions across the Great Lakes region, including six years as the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and as a commissioner on the Great Lakes Commission. He also worked as the senior policy advisor on environment and natural resources for the Illinois Lt. Governor's Office and for the statewide river conservation group in Illinois, Prairie Rivers Network, as a watershed organizer.