Tim Miller understands the impact that education can have on a person’s life. He experienced it firsthand at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), with professors who tailored their instruction so he could best learn.

Miller, who begins his year-long tenure as CAES Alumni Board president on July 1, has had a well-rounded career in the agriculture equipment industry since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural mechanization technology in 1986.

After working in training roles for industry big-hitters like Kubota, Komatsu and AGCO, he joined Yanmar America to lead the learning and development program for the Japanese heavy machinery company both in North America and around the world.

Specifically, Miller oversees Yanmar’s Global Academy and a training center that handles training needs across eight functional areas — service, sales, parts, dealership management, systems, finance, employee training and customer/partner training. Yanmar Academy’s training programs are tailored to the end user — internal or external — as well as by job function, and they are offered in multiple formats to boost effectiveness and accessibility.

Though his career has spanned agriculture and construction, Miller sees himself as being in a different field altogether — adult education. It’s one that he’s found distinctly fulfilling.

“One of the things I like the most is not only the variety of the things that we do in the subjects that we teach, but also the fact that what we teach helps people to do their jobs better so they can have a better life and a better lifestyle if they apply what they learn,” he said. “Knowing that people are able to provide better for their families because they’ve taken our training — that they know more, they’re more efficient and they’re more productive — that means a lot to me.”

Miller’s gratitude for his education and experiences at CAES motivates him to be involved with the CAES Alumni Board — and he encourages his fellow alumni to do the same.

“I have a really deep appreciation for being at the college and being part of the University of Georgia,” he said. “The college really supported me in order to graduate, and so I want to give back to that.”