Carmen Miller

About Carmen

Carmen Miller was born in the early 1960s in Chicago and was the fourth oldest of ten children. As children, she and her siblings were no strangers to violence, both inside and outside the home. In 1984, Carmen moved to Minnesota to escape this environment, but a few short years later, she fell into drug addiction and experienced one tragedy after another, including being a victim of rape and living in an abusive relationship.

Carmen has three children, born between the 1970s and early 1980s, who witnessed the very violence she had longed to escape when she moved to Minnesota. These experiences led her into a deep depression, which ultimately resulted in a homicide conviction in 1994 and a 15-year prison sentence. While incarcerated, Carmen worked hard to change her mindset and behavior, striving to become the solution instead of the problem and to be a positive force in her community.

Carmen has an extensive list of volunteer experiences, including her work with Mount Olive Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis, Salem Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis, Avivo, and the Dignity Center. She is a powerful motivational speaker and holds an Associate of Science degree from Minnesota Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from St. Mary’s College in Minneapolis.

Carmen found her way to T.O.N.E U.P. and is excited to help build out the organization’s women’s pillar. She has already begun this work by speaking at women’s groups and will be joining us inside the workhouse and other facilities, including halfway houses, to share her story, encourage others, and give hope to justice-impacted women. Through her lived experience and commitment to uplifting others, Carmen is ready to help women recognize their strength, see new possibilities for their lives, and know that their past does not define their future.

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