Episode 104: Evelyn Henry Miller | Living and Working with Intention

Episode 104: Evelyn Henry Miller | Living and Working with Intention

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In this episode of Beyond the Business Suit, I had the pleasure of interviewing Evelyn Henry Miller. Evelyn is the Chief Financial Officer for TDIndustries, a Dallas-based mechanical construction and facilities service company with an extensive background in finance leadership. I was fortunate to work at the same company as Evelyn about 10 years ago and always admired who she was personally and professionally and am so happy to have her on the show.

One common theme throughout this interview is how Evelyn lives her life with intention and excellence. We talked about why she decided to build a career in finance, how she was able to seamlessly continue excelling in her career after taking a two year sabbatical while taking care of her daughter, her advice on how to handle being the only one who looks like you and a lot more. I promise you, you'll want to take notes on this one!

 

In this episode you will hear us discuss

• Why Evelyn decided to build a career in finance
• How she was able to seamlessly continue excelling in her career after taking a two year sabbatical while taking care of her daughter
• Her advice for busy working mothers on how to manage work and life
• Her advice on how to handle being the only one who looks like you

 

Quotables

• “I am very intentional about decisions.”
• “You can do whatever you choose to do, if you choose to work at it.”
• “Organization and delegation will save you from insanity.”
• “The attitude that I put on when I want to feel powerful is the knowing that no one can be better at being me than me, so when I walk into a room, I wear that proudly.”

 

Evelyn's Bio

Evelyn Henry Miller is a highly-respected financial executive with extensive corporate experience in finance, planning and analysis, strategy development and execution, human resources and information technology, across diverse industries, including media and telecommunications, for global and domestic enterprises, with revenues over $2 billion. Miller currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for TDIndustries, a Dallas-based comprehensive mechanical construction and facilities service company that has been named to Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For® for the past 19 years.

Prior to this role, Miller served as Executive Vice President for such firms as Agencies of Change and The Dallas Morning News, where she was responsible for Finance, Information Technology and Administration. In this capacity, Miller was a key participant in determining the company’s business strategy, and as the company’s senior-most financial officer was also responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s financial and administrative direction.

Miller has held several other high-profile finance roles including, senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of BancTec, Inc. where she was responsible for accounting, finance and legal functions for this global systems integration and services company. Also, from 1995 to 1999, she held key senior management roles at CellStar Corporation, the world’s leading global provider of innovative, value-enhancing logistics services to the wireless communications industry.

Miller has several honors to her credit including being recognized by the Dallas Business Journal in 2016 with a Women in Business award and in 2012 as the Outstanding CFO for a Midsize Public Company by D Magazine.

Miller is involved in the community and currently serves on the board of Dallas CASA and, as a founding director, is currently Chairwoman of the Young Women’s Preparatory Network, a non-profit that supports single-gender, college-preparatory, public education in Texas.

In addition, Miller serves on the corporate board of directors for DentaQuest, the second largest oral health company in the United States and the largest in the Medicaid space.

Miller earned her degree, with high honors, from the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. She also has an active CPA certification.

The Final Five:

1. Some of Evelyn's “secret weapons of success”: Knowing her craft, the ability to surround herself with a great team and being resolute and compassionate when there are tough issues that have to be managed.
2. Some of the things that she does to manage her family, personal life and career: She manages her time as the precious resource it is. She holds herself accountable by reviewing her calendar. Her calendar will tell her if she's prioritizing her time by what's most important in her life. Because of that, she's not shy about saying “no.” She is also unapologetic about her self-care. 
3. The best advice she's ever received: Her mother always told her to live her life. Her mother was ahead of her time and taught Evelyn how to be present. Evelyn intensely compartmentalizes everything she does so that she can experience the moments as what they are. 
4. Something in her career that she wishes she could get get a “do over” for: When she was leaving public accounting, she was recruited away by a former partner from the firm. When he asked her what compensation it would take for her to leave, after she answered and he quickly said “ok,” she realized her number was too low. That never happened again!
5. Her go-to “power outfit”: She usually goes with a conservative, yet classy style with a touch of flair. What makes her feel most powerful is her attitude: the knowing that no one can be better at being her than her.

How you can connect with Evelyn:

LinkedIn: Evelyn Henry Miller

Twitter: @ehenrymiller