We’re excited to announce Joseph Miller as the UNI College of Business’ new Head of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. The first thing Miller noticed about the UNI College of Business was the energy. From the moment he arrived on campus, he received a warm welcome and a groundswell of support from students, faculty and staff. He was hooked.

“I’m just so attracted to a high-energy environment like UNI,” Miller said. “I’m really excited to be here.”

Born in the Detroit area, Miller studied music in college. After graduating, he entered the world of business and consulting. He worked in a variety of industries, including insurance, steel processing, banking, and technology and software sales. Throughout all those jobs, he describes his role as “creating value to the value chain.” For example, increasing efficiency on a shop floor for steel processes, or finding ways for underwriters to more effectively do their jobs.

In the early-2000s, when pursuing his MBA, Miller found a love for academia, thanks to some inspiration from a professor and his desire to look at business at a higher level. He worked toward a doctorate, then took his first job in education in 2008 as an assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. After almost a decade, he joined St. Ambrose University in Davenport, quickly rising to become the Department Chair of Marketing and Sales in 2020.

“We're thrilled to have Dr. Miller join us as the new department head of marketing and entrepreneurship,” said Leslie Wilson dean of the College of Business. “We believe his contributions will be instrumental in shaping the future of this department and help us further elevate the work just beginning in our Center for Professional Sales Excellence. His extensive background in business and academia, including starting two sales centers, makes him a valuable addition to our team. We are excited to see how he contributes to our student success focus and fosters innovation within the department.”

“Throughout my career, I put myself in a lot of roles advocating for these very different types of industries,” Miller said. “And I started thinking that there had to be a higher level, where we look at all these problems from a top-down view. What should firms do, rather than what should this specific firm do? That was the thing that helped me decide to get into studying businesses as a career.”

For research interests, Miller has investigated the effects of data breaches, how customer perceptions change, and steps businesses can take to help regain trust. Going forward, he hopes to look more into the implications of the gig economy. His daughter recently started Door Dashing, which piqued his interest in how contactless food delivery affects customer perception of food businesses.

Miller already has some goals for his work at UNI. He wants to maximize the student experience, meeting students where they are, so they can find a fulfilling path between high school and their professional careers.

“I want to build a conduit between the best interests of the high school student considering studying our discipline and the companies who will ultimately hire them,” Miller said. “I’ve been in this field for a while, and I‘ve had so many conversations with students throughout their journey - from high school seniors through graduation. A consistent theme from them is the reinforcement that their experiences are unique. So, you want to provide an education that is high-quality and relevant for them, but you also must be adaptive and meet the students where they are. That’s what I’m excited for.”