Founder & Senior Advisor
Todd Miller is the founder and former executive director of the North Carolina Coastal
Federation, a nonprofit with over 16,000 supporters working for a healthier North
Carolina coast.
A native of coastal North Carolina from the unincorporated community of Ocean in
Carteret County, Miller found his passion for coastal protection in 1982, aiming to keep
the coast a great place to live, work, and play. Starting as a one-man (and a dog)
operation in the back room of his house, Miller grew the Federation over the next 42
years by forming partnerships and rallying volunteers, expanding it to three offices and
a staff of more than three dozen, covering the entire North Carolina coast.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned both
undergraduate and master’s degrees, Miller was selected in 2013 by the Faculty
Council and the Board of Trustees to receive UNC Chapel Hill’s Distinguished Alumnus
Award. This honorary degree recognizes a select group of alumni for outstanding
contributions to society. In August 2024, Miller received North Carolina’s highest civilian
honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, from Governor Roy Cooper. This award is given
to individuals who have made significant contributions to the state and their
communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.
Miller was also honored with the “Hero of the Seas” award by the Peter Benchley Ocean
Awards in 2015. In addition to numerous other awards, recognitions, and volunteer
board assignments, he is a founding board member of Restore America’s Estuaries and
currently serves on the Board of Visitors for the UNC Institute for the Environment. Miller
also served for decades on the Leadership Committee for the Albemarle-Pamlico
National Estuary Partnership before stepping down as Executive Director of the Coastal
Federation on January 31, 2024. He now provides strategic advice and program
assistance to the organization.
