Erik F. Miller ’07, ’11 MBA, MS, CPCU, was destined to study economics from a young age, if his choice of library books was any indication. As a seventh-grader, he spent the summer reading an economics textbook he’d borrowed. He describes economics as the glue that held together all his natural interests – finance, analytics, mathematics, and technology.
Miller is Assistant Business Intelligence Manager at Amica Insurance in Lincoln, RI. He started shortly after graduation in 2008, and has worked his way up through a series of progressively responsible positions. Now, he’s helping grow a team of professionals who are using data to bring new insights into Amica’s business. It’s a natural blend of skills and interests for Miller, who calls data analytics a “team sport.”
And he’s also helping nurture a new generation of data professionals, as an adjunct faculty member teaching Applied Analytics.
Miller presented at Bryant’s November 2018 Analytics Using SAS® Day, addressing the topic of Analytical Use Cases in the Insurance Industry. His talk focused on how analytical techniques are currently used to deliver value in the insurance business.
There’s a great need for people to fill these data-related roles in today’s economy, he says. “Data analyst, data engineer, data scientist... take any job from the 20th century and put the word ‘data’ in front of it, and it’s a 21st century career,” he jokes.
He credits his Bryant education with not only getting him started on his career path, but with helping him forge persistence, as well as building confidence in his ability to solve problems and work through challenges.
"All that you saw, all that you experienced, all that you learned here was possible because someone who came before you made an investment in this community.”
Bryant, he says, from the first time he set foot on campus, “felt like home.”
“You’re acquiring knowledge and skills here, sure. But you’re also a member of a community. We’re not just developing technical skills, we’re developing a whole person.”
Between his role at Amica and teaching at Bryant, free time is in short supply. Still, Miller enjoys skiing, snowboarding, and golf. He resides with his wife, Katie (Ducharme) Miller '18 MBA, in Lincoln. In addition to his Bryant degrees, Erik earned an MS in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University in 2014.
Acutely aware of the influence institutions can have on people’s lives, he says he especially appreciates contributing in ways large and small to the vibrancy of the Bryant community. “I’m very lucky to have attended this institution and to be able to come back and be a part of it again.”
He urges his fellow alumni to think back to when they were new students on campus. "All that you saw, all that you experienced, all that you learned here was possible because someone who came before you made an investment in this community.”
