Melody Miller

            Senior Aide To Senator Edward M. Kennedy
                                        and
                Spokesperson for the Kennedy Family
                                   (Retired)


Employment:

     Melody Miller began working on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress while still in high school, and later for the Democratic National Committee.  In 1964, she was selected to work in the White House office established for Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of the assassination.  Miller attended the 1964 Democratic Convention and assisted with the receptions Mrs. Kennedy held for the delegates, and at the John F. Kennedy Touring Library Exhibit.  After Mrs. Kennedy moved to New York, Miller joined the staff of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.  She worked for him throughout her college years and became a permanent member of his Washington Senate staff when she graduated from Penn State.  She was a Press Assistant in RFK's 1968 Presidential campaign.  When he died, Miller was with the family at Hickory Hill.  She was then asked to join the Senate staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

     Over the years, she has handled a variety of assignments ranging from legislative assistant work on the Senate Floor, to dealing with press matters for Senator Kennedy and his family.   Miller was the Assistant Press Secretary for Senator Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign.  For more than two decades she has been an official spokesperson for Senator Kennedy.  On appropriate occasions, she has also functioned as Spokesperson for the Kennedy family.  Along with assisting with press inquiries on the day to day business of the Senate, Miller handled press requests related to Senator Edward Kennedy's career, President Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Robert Kennedy, and Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy  -- as well as inquiries about the other members of the family, and in particular, Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr.  She kept the secret of John's wedding plans for more than a month and announced his marriage to the press.  She was the point person for the National press corps in DC and at Arlington Cemetery for the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

     Miller handled long-range projects dealing with network television documentaries, magazine shows, movies, books, magazine profiles, memorials, museums, and all matters dealing with the assassinations.  She has been the liaison for the family with the civic leaders of Dallas, and traveled to the city as the Kennedy family's representative regarding the Sixth Floor Museum.  She also coordinated special projects for Senator Kennedy, such as the National Geographic Expedition to find the wreckage of PT 109, and acted as the liaison for Caroline and Senator Kennedy with Washington, DC officials for the 2002 Citywide Summer Celebration of “Jacqueline Kennedy's Washington Years.”   She has written Senator Kennedy's remarks for many occasions, including those dealing with his family and their interests, eulogies given for his friends, and events such as the annual Profile In Courage Award presentation at the JFK Library.

     Miller has been interviewed for numerous documentaries on John, Robert and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis produced by national and international networks.  She has been interviewed about her career for various newspapers, magazines and television shows.  Miller has served on panel discussions on the subject of President Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and the Kennedy family, as well as discussions on public service and the media at the National Press Club televised on C-SPAN.

Retirement: 

     Although Miller technically retired from Senator Kennedy's staff on June 30, 2005, she will still be assisting with the six year Oral History Project on Senator Kennedy's life and career being done by the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. Because of her long association with the Kennedy family, Miller also continues to function as an institutional memory for current staff, Kennedy family members, and as a liaison for former staff, press, and associates of President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy with the Senate office of Edward Kennedy.

     Upon her retirement, Senator Kennedy issued the following statement:
“Melody Miller has been a wonderful and talented member of my staff for 36 years.  I inherited her from Jackie and Bobby, and her ability, dedication, and friendship have made an enormous difference for me and for all the members of the Kennedy family.  We'll miss the sunshine she brought to the office every day very much, but I know I'll continue to rely on her in the years ahead for her advice and wise counsel on many vital issues.”

         

Education and Other Activities:

     Miller graduated from Penn State University with a degree in secondary education (social studies) and was very active in student government, athletics, and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.  She was ranked first among all Penn State students doing their student teaching in the Philadelphia area.  The rule against teaching senior year students was waved to allow her to teach a course on government.   Frustrated by the inability to receive no more than one clear network news broadcast, Miller initiated and led a three-year effort to bring cable television capability to the Penn State campus.  In what became a campus wide cause, she brokered the agreement between the university administration and the cable company.  Cable was installed the summer after she graduated.  The following October, when Miller returned for Homecoming and flipped on the television, there were 17 channels available for the students.

     In 1988, Miller was selected as one of the 22 Outstanding Alumni of the College of Education.  She was chosen by the University to be one of 33 graduates profiled for a video about Penn State.   She was recruited to be a member of, and is currently serving her fourth term on, the Penn State Library Development and Advisory Board along side head football coach, Joe Paterno, for whom the university named the new library.  Recently, she was the guest speaker at the university's Penn State Forum -- a luncheon lecture series -- before 400 members of the faculty and administration, and was interviewed on the local PBS station at Penn State, which serves central Pennsylvania.

     Miller has been a speaker for groups at area high schools and colleges, and for other groups such as Close-Up students visiting Capitol Hill, University Intern programs for students working there, as well as international journalists on State Department coordinated tours of the United States.  She was invited to participate on the panels and has attended Renaissance Weekend.

     Since 1971, Miller has served as a consultant to Hollywood producers, writers, and actors, on various films and television shows about politics and public service in Washington.  She began with work on behalf of "The Senator" series starring Hal Holbrook, who remains a close friend, and has continued to assist screenwriters and novelists interested in being accurate in stories about political Washington.

     Most recently, she has been asked by close friends, Amb. Joseph and Valerie Plame Wilson to be one of the two Trustees of their Wilson Legal Support Trust in conjunction with the civil suit to determine responsibility for revealing that Valerie was a rare deep cover NOC, sleuthing out weapons of mass destruction for the safety of our country, while working for the CIA.


Additional Background:

     Melody Miller is married to producer and businessman, William P. Wilson who was President Kennedy's television advisor in the 1960 presidential campaign and negotiated the TV ground rules for JFK's  “Great Debates” with Richard Nixon.  Mr. Wilson was Robert Kennedy's Campaign Media Director in '64 & '68, and a television, film, and theatrical producer.   He is now CEO of ArtsBacker, an investment banking service for investing in theater productions via the Internet.

     Miller has raised two stepsons from a previous marriage, a foster son, and has a stepdaughter.  She has also mentored numerous young people -- several of whom have become honorary sons and daughters.  She has two beloved nieces and a nephew, who are dear to her heart.  Miller is particularly supportive of animal rescue organizations, in gratitude for her adopted cat and dog -- now known as the “furry children.” 

     Miller was born in Seattle, Washington -- but grew up in Arlington, Virginia and graduated from Yorktown High School.  The faculty selected her for the award as the “Most Outstanding Senior Girl” in her graduating class.  She continues her ties to Yorktown as the Co-Chair of the Committee to select YHS graduates for the Hall of Fame, and as the organizer of several class reunions.  

     While a student, she was very involved in school and community activities, and was written about in an article that appeared in The Washington Post.  As a result, Miller was invited to the White House for a personal appointment with President Kennedy.  She met with JFK in May of 1963, which cemented her decision to pursue a career in public service -- but never suspected that it would be a life-long adventure on the Senate staffs of his brothers.