The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party today named Sally Miller, a Minnesota native with more than two decades of grassroots organizing and campaign experience, to serve as the new Executive Director. Most recently, Miller served as Tina Smith’s Deputy Campaign Manager where she helped guide the DFL’s Coordinated Campaign in one of its most robust and successful efforts. Miller’s first day as Executive Director is today as she begins the transition over the next two weeks in coordination with outgoing Executive Director Corey Day.
“Today I am pleased to announce the hiring of Sally Miller as the new Executive Director of the Minnesota DFL,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “I have had the good fortune to know Sally Miller for over twenty years and couldn’t be more happy for us to get to work together and build the DFL Party towards victory in 2020. Sally not only boasts an outstanding political resume, she also brings strong relationships with DFLers across the state of Minnesota and a clear vision for the DFL’s future which will ensure our party is well-prepared for the changing landscape of political campaigns and the critical upcoming presidential election cycle.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the DFL team and continue their work building one of the country’s strongest Democratic State Party’s alongside Chairman Martin,” said Sally Miller. “After getting my start working for Paul and Sheila Wellstone, I went on to organize on behalf of low wage workers and progressive campaigns across the country. I’m overjoyed at the opportunity to bring my experience, energy, and love for Minnesota’s grassroots politics to this job.”
Prior to 2018, Sally Miller worked as an independent consultant as well as with the Minnesota firm, Grassroots Solutions. Her work was centered around strengthening the work of progressive organizations and campaigns nationally and locally by utilizing the strongest grassroots techniques from technology to old fashion door to door conversations. Before moving back to Minnesota in 2012, Sally spent 10 years leading the political organizing in the South and Southwest part of the country for the Service Employees International Union.
Sally got her start working for Paul and Sheila Wellstone for the first 5 years of her career that included his 1996 campaign where Sally volunteered her retired teacher and activist dad to drive the Wellstone Bus for the next 5 fun-filled years. She went on to run several state and local campaigns before leaving for SEIU in 2002. Despite her career taking her across the country, she always stayed close to her Minnesota roots by continuing to help train for Wellstone Action sharing the core principles of the Wellstone Way with activists, candidates, and political staff.