Leah Miller Scholarship for leadership is established

With the May 2024 retirement of Leah Miller from Leadership Holmes County, the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau has established the Leah Miller Scholarship for Cultivating Leaders in her honor.

The scholarship, established with the Holmes County Education & Community Foundation, honors Miller’s more than 50 years of improving Holmes County through her work at the planning commission, Chamber of Commerce, Holmes County Board of Commissioners, Economic Development Council, Leadership Holmes County, Small Farm Institute and more. This scholarship will assist Holmes County residents and those employed in the county as they pursue continued leadership training.

To kick off the scholarship fund, the chamber has donated $2,500 to the foundation, with additional $2,000 contributions coming from the Commercial & Savings Bank, Park National Bank and the Killbuck Savings Bank. This starts the fund on its way to becoming an endowed scholarship.

An endowment is a permanent fund set up to provide short- and long-term charitable funding. The funds are invested, and a portion is regularly distributed to its intended beneficiaries. The foundation’s endowed scholarships have a $25,000 threshold.

“Endowed scholarships are established to last forever. They provide ongoing funding for scholarships while growing exponentially in value over time,” said Shasta Mast, HCECF’s executive director. “What a fitting tribute to the leadership Leah has provided to our community.”

Leadership Holmes County is a program of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau. Miller helped create the program and facilitated it for nearly 25 years. Hundreds of students took the nine-month course focused on honing leadership skills and becoming more familiar with the community’s strengths and challenges.

“Leah’s insights, expertise and leadership have inspired a generation of leaders who have gone on to elected office, become chief executive officers, community leaders and more thoughtful contributors to Holmes County,” said Tiffany Gerber, the chamber’s executive director.

To contribute to the foundation’s Leah Miller Scholarship for Cultivating Leaders, send a check to the Holmes County Education Foundation at 114 N. Clay St., Millersburg, OH 44654, and put Leah Miller Scholarship in the memo line. Donations to the scholarship are tax-deductible.

Since 1989 the Holmes County Education & Community Foundation has awarded nearly $12 million in scholarships to students continuing their education.

Anyone seeking further information concerning the new scholarship may email Mast at shasta@hcef.net or Gerber at tiffany@holmescountychamber.com.