Nelly Miles

I never imagined telling a story about a flying cockroach at a retirement party.

There I was, 8 1/2 months pregnant sitting at my desk as Forensic Chemistry Manager for the GBI Crime Lab. The year was 2011.

I look up to find a flying cockroach shooting out of a vent & descending on my desk.

In comes the Chemistry team, & Deneen was someone that came to my rescue.

Me: ‘Take him out!’
Deneen: No…we must save him!

She finds a mason jar, captures him, & sets him free.

I told this story Thursday at GBI Crime Lab Assistant Deputy Director Deneen Kilcrease’s retirement celebration.

Deneen has a heart for people, & it’s so big that she even finds compassion for a cockroach.

Congrats to my dear friend on 26 years of heart-led service! 💙

A room full of connections, conversations, and community.

Grateful for the opportunity to represent the Henry County (Ga) Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta
as Chair of Info/Comms while also sharing the work of Nelly Miles Consulting.

Service and strategy can absolutely exist in the same space.

Hiring the right PIO in public safety | more than writing and understanding social media

Many leaders think the best PIO is the person who can write well and post on social media.

✅ A strong PIO is thinking several steps ahead.

✅ They are listening during public board meetings, command staff discussions, and even the comments on social media. That strategy informs what their agency should already be communicating about.

I had the pleasure of doing that work with Natalie for several years.

Sharing this photo from the NOBLE 2026 Region III Training Conference because we threw it back one more time —> 💙🤍🖤

This comes after many complaints about missing the moments. Someone even said during the conference that we should at least try to do it during events. 🙂

You are the plan.

And don’t you forget it.

Life has a way of throwing us curveballs. Catch that ball and get back in the game.

You’ve got this!