Madeline Walker Miller

What is your current job and main responsibilities?

I am the founder and CEO of a Detroit-based textile recycling company called NexTiles. Our mission is to divert textile waste from landfills and incineration. We collect pre-consumer industrial waste from clothing and auto interior manufacturers. I am responsible for new client outreach, event organization, and sometimes pickups from local businesses.

I am also a Neighborhood Revitalization Fellow in the Department of Public Affairs at DTE Energy, a Detroit-based energy company. I support outreach and volunteer efforts for DTE's Beacon Park, an expansive greenspace that gathers the local community and hosts regular events.

Tell us about your MPS internship

For my MPS internship, I travelled to Brooklyn, New York and worked at FABSCRAP, Inc. FABSCRAP is a textile recycling company that caters to New York designers and clothing manufacturers for fabric waste collection, and offers an immersive sorting, shopping, and education experience centered around textile waste. I helped organize the company's database, which included details on the quantity, type of waste, and avoided carbon calculations for more than 500 clients. I thoroughly enjoyed spending 3+ months in a new city and learning the ins and outs of an innovative woman-owned company.

What were your favorite classes at Rosenstiel School and why?

My favorite classes at Rosenstiel School were Decision Analysis: Natural Hazards and Catastrophes and Spatial Analysis.

Natural Hazards and Catastrophes helped me understand the failures in leadership, infrastructure, design, and maintenance that resulted in some of the most catastrophic natural events in history, as well as the communities most impacted, resulting changes in technology, and needed policy.

Spatial Analysis enhanced the knowledge of ArcGIS that I obtained from Intro to Marine GIS. I originally considered ArcGIS a very complex tool. By the end of the class, I was applying the tool much more easily.

What are your favorite Rosenstiel School memories?

My favorite Rosenstiel School memory is traveling to Colombia with my Fieldwork in Coastal Management classmates. I gained a plethora of knowledge about the country's history, culture, and environmental challenges. During this class, I was also able to explore UM's beautiful main campus. .

What piece of advice would you give to current or incoming MPS students?

My advice to current and incoming MPS students is to bask in the program and its experiences. Network as frequently as possible and develop meaningful relationships with students and faculty. In the year since graduation, faculty members have given me very valuable, timely advice on my future educational goals and business aspirations.