By: Kate Jones, Alumni Office Intern
Greetings! I am back to tell you about my most recent alumni interview, Andrea Miller ‘05.
Andrea is the Assistant Counsel for the Acquisition Integrity Office, Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel. The majority of her time is spent working with procurement fraud and contracting out with government. Procurement fraud includes, but is not limited to, cost/labor mischarging, defective pricing, defective parts, price fixing and bid rigging and product substitution.
For example, if Company A defrauded the government by sending an invoice for work they didn’t complete, the NCIS (Navy Criminal investigative Service) pushes the case to the Department of Justice or administrative action is taken. After an intense investigation, Company A is informed that they can no longer work with the government or they are placed on suspension.
Although Andrea doesn’t work directly with the President himself, she works very closely with the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus. Ray Mabus has a keen interest in what Andrea and her office partake in; he is all about legal justification and stresses that things are not always cut and dry answers. It was very evident through our interview that Andrea loves her job and she is an inspiration to me how she spoke about it. I hope that I am as lucky and able to find a profession that makes me feel that accomplished. Andrea loves her job for more than one reason, her new element is the new health and wellness policy that was passed. The Department of Defense allows the civilians three hours during the week to partake in physical activity. Not only is this activity needed to destress, but also a fun way to bond with people that you work with. Additional reasons include great benefits, health, retirement and a compressed work schedule.
Andrea majored in political science with a double minor in sociology and philosophy at York College and graduated from Dickinson School of Law in 2009. Andrea felt that she took away great critical thinking skills and research techniques from York. YCP also prepared her to be a professional because of the activities she took part in on campus, such as Student Senate. “We had to be professional, faculty expected it!” Miller said. After discovering that we had something in common, being a member of Senate, I was very interested in knowing what she believed set her apart from other applicants for her present job. Andrea said that her semi-prestigious internships in law school, being involved in numerous activities, such as De Phi E, Student Senate President, York Ambassador, volunteering at York College and just showing a great deal of drive in her interviews helped her separate herself from other applicants.
Fun Facts about Andrea…
a. Her advice to the incoming class of new students is to get involved as much as possible. “This is the defining aspect of your college career. Don’t just rely on book smarts; it is the practical stuff, the hands on ability that really get you somewhere. Social skills, use them don’t lose them.”
b. When I asked what she would consider her greatest accomplishment, she responded with, “Not to sound corny, but making my parents proud, they didn’t go to college and I was the first to go to Grad School.”
c. Andrea has served on the Alumni Board Directors for the past five years.
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Andrea Miller '05 |
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Andrea Miller (left) at DC Alumni Night with the Nationals |
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Andrea Miller (left) working at the Alumni Easter Egg Hunt |