Check Out Jackie Miller’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Miller.

Hi Jackie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After growing up in upstate New York and graduating from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, I lived in New York City for five years. While the city had its allure, I felt the draw of expansive landscapes, and a more integrated personal and professional life, so I moved to Colorado. I came without a job, riding on certainty that I’d land something wonderful. And I did. Three months after I arrived, I was hired by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) as the assistant to the executive director and GOCO Board. I fell in love with GOCO and Colorado. I hadn’t spent much time in the West, and through this unique organization, I had the privilege of seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes our country has to offer and meeting interesting people in every corner of the state.

I’ve held many positions at GOCO in the last 20 years. I came up on the park and trail development side of the mission, working with communities to create greater access to the outdoors. Across every role, spending time with partners in community to talk about local challenges and opportunities and how GOCO funding could help address them kept me inspired. I gained a statewide perspective of the passionate and dedicated network of outdoor champions who share common values around the outdoors and who have unique approaches to upholding them. It’s been an incredible journey, to see GOCO evolve as a statewide funder and to witness how a state can safeguard what it values for future generations.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s been real. And I wouldn’t trade that. Over the years, I’ve come to see leadership as less about having all the answers and more about showing up fully, as a listener, a learner, and a human being.
I’ve held this role through many seasons of my life. There’ve been joyful milestones and personal challenges that reshaped me behind the scenes. Through all of it, I’ve tried to lead from the inside out – with heart, integrity, and a deep belief that empathy is a strength, not a soft skill. Being a whole person in a leadership role takes effort. But it’s also what’s kept this work meaningful: being able to connect with people – not just as a professional but as someone who shares a perspective on what it means to navigate uncertainty, hold complexity, and still move forward with care. That’s where I’ve found the deepest kind of purpose.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. Since its creation by Colorado voters in 1992, $1.4 billion has been invested in 5,800 projects in all 64 counties.

Generation Wild was created by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to connect Colorado kids to the outdoors by increasing the amount of time they spend outside. The program is made up of a statewide communications campaign designed to inspire and activate Colorado families using tools like a list of 100 Things To Do Before You’re 12, and a network of 12 Generation Wild communities engaging more than 270,000 youth participants with outdoor programs, activities and jobs in the outdoors.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in a first-generation Italian family which brought both depth and complexity. I spent a lot of time with family, navigating culture and expectations, and that experience—both the good and the bad—shaped me. I was drawn to other perspectives through my friendships, my friends’ families, trusted teachers, and people I met along the way. That lifelong curiosity about people continues to influence how I show up in personal relationships and professional partnerships.

And as a child, I found wonder through unstructured play. I spent hours riding bikes with neighborhood friends and catching fireflies in jars we turned into makeshift habitat. I was blissfully unaware that this magic would someday beautifully align with my professional life. In 2015, I led the development of GOCO’s special initiative Generation Wild, a program that connects more kids and families to the outdoors. What a joy – to bring Coloradans the amazing benefits of outdoor play—from imagination building and resilience to health and wellbeing—and to help usher in the next generation of people who will care for our great outdoors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.generationwild.com/ and https://goco.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generationwildcolorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenerationWildColorado/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Great Outdoors Colorado