Courtesy Steamboat Pilot & Today
After years working her way through the editorial ranks at the Steamboat Pilot & Today, Nicole Miller is ready for her next challenge: taking the helm as editor of the Summit Daily News.
“Right now I’m equal parts excited to start at the Summit Daily, and sad to leave the Steamboat Pilot,” said Miller, who’s finishing her term as the Pilot’s digital engagement editor. “But I think anytime you have something new it’s exciting, and it reinvigorates you in your work. Being in a different newsroom and a different community, I’m obviously going to have a lot to learn, and that’s one of the things that excites me.”
The move comes shortly after long-time editor Ben Trollinger announced he’d be leaving the post to become the editor of Acres U.S.A. — the nation’s premier publication related to production-scale organic and sustainable farming.
While the job is new, Miller has been a newswoman for years. She said she first found an interest in journalism in high school after her mother suggested she take a class. A Colorado native, she later enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in news editorial from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with an emphasis in environmental studies.
After graduation, Miller moved to Steamboat Springs and began as a copy editor at the Pilot & Today. From there, she worked her way up to page designer, copy desk chief, news editor and eventually assistant editor. She took home a Best in Show award for page design during the Colorado Press Association awards in 2011.
In 2013, she left the paper to take a role in the marketing department at Steamboat Resort, handling social media and public relations. After a five-year break from the journalism world, she returned to the Steamboat Pilot last year to lead the paper’s digital strategy and oversee the outlet’s social media channels and website.
Following Trollinger’s announced departure, Miller immediately became a top candidate to replace him.
“I’ve always thought really highly of Nicole, and I really enjoyed working with her in Steamboat,” said Meg Boyer, publisher of the Summit Daily and a former advertising director and news editor for the Steamboat Pilot. “She has a good vision for the Summit Daily News, and where we can go from here. I think the Summit Daily has taken some really huge steps forward under Ben’s leadership, and I think Nicole will keep that momentum going.”
Growing up just a couple hours away, Miller said she already has a familiarity with Summit County — particularly the ski slopes — and that she believes her experience in the mountains will help her adjust more quickly to her new role.
“Having spent the last 13 years in Steamboat Springs and being a Colorado native, I’m obviously familiar with mountain communities, the lifestyle that we live and the types of stories our readers are interested in,” said Miller.
Outside of work, Miller said she enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and hanging out with her two dogs, Cotija and Pico. A foodie of sorts, she’s also excited to jump into the county’s culinary scene, checking out different restaurants and bars to find her favorites.
Miller will officially take over as editor on May 28. As she adjusts to her new settings, Miller said she encourages the Summit Daily’s readers to get in touch. She can be reached at NMiller@summitdaily.com.
“I’m obviously going to be brand new to this community, so anything that Summit County residents and the Summit Daily’s readers can do to help me find my way is going to be really helpful,” said Miller.