May Member Profile
By Michael Grebosz, Assistant to the City Manager of DeLand, FL
Faith Miller, City Manager, Deltona, FL
FCCMA member since:
October 2008
ICMA member since:
October 2008
Please describe your areas of formal/advanced education:
Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Univ. of Central Florida (1999)
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration, Univ. of Central Florida (1993)
Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) designation, International Institute of Municipal Clerks (2000)
Leadership Deland Graduate (1996)
What got you interested in public service?
After a change in family circumstances and relocating to Florida from Michigan in 1985, I was working as a Medical Records Secretary and answered an ad and was given the opportunity to be Deputy City Clerk for the City of Palm Bay. Learning more about City operations from the inside of a large relatively new City, I saw this chance as a good time to advance my career by going to college through Pell grants & later financial assistance from my employers. Although it took a number of years as a single parent working full-time, I was finally able to obtain my Master’s Degree and take on more advanced responsibilities progressing through three Cities.
Current occupation:
City Manager, City of Deltona
Brief job description:
Day-to-day management of all departments/services to support the 2nd largest City in Central Florida – a bedroom-community of over 86,000 residents – reporting to an elected body consisting of a Mayor elected at large and (six) City Commissioners elected by district.
Describe your typical day:
Up early responding to emails before even coming into the office; then meetings with staff, constituents, and elected officials both in the office and out in the community; answering more phone calls and emails, letters of concern from residents, and dealing with customer issues; then more meetings and/or emails in the evenings, and attending community events on the weekends.
Favorite part of the job:
Providing quality special events for our residents and helping the community discover its “sense of place.”
Least favorite part of the job:
Dealing with difficult & often sensitive personnel issues; and the difficulty of having seven different bosses who may often have differing views and opinions of how their policy directives are to be implemented.
Most memorable experience on the job so far:
Being in the infancy stages of two newly incorporated cities and basically starting a local government from scratch – City of DeBary (incorporated 12/31/93, starting population of about 9,000) and the City of Deltona (incorporated 12/31/95 with a starting population of over 50,000).
Hobbies and interests:
Spending time with grandchildren, traveling, volunteering as a puppy raiser of Golden Retriever service dogs, camping, reading, baking and visiting art shows.
Family details:
One son, two grandchildren – girl (age 6) and boy (age 3), and 4 dogs
If you could give one piece of advice to young people interested in a career in public service, what would it be?
Remember that the community’s residents are often your neighbors and co-workers and be open to listening to their concerns and understanding that they do not always totally grasp the concept that the City does not have the funds necessary to fix every problem immediately and have the patience to explain what you and the City can do to help.
Who were your mentors?
Alice Passmore, City Clerk, for the City of Palm Bay who gave me my first opportunity in local government; and Richard Diamond, former City Manager for the City of Palm Bay.
Have you always been in the public sector or have you had experience in the private sector?
I worked for Michigan Bell Telephone Company right out of high school for nine years before the divestiture of AT&T and the dividing up of the “baby Bell” companies. Worked for major clothing retailer during high school.
What career would you pick if you were to pick another?
Forest/park ranger, something outside in a milder climate in a locale with four seasons.
