Kari Miller joined NPCA in 2026 as Texas Coastal Program Manager. She lives in Livingston, close to the forests and bayous she works to protect, and supports the national parks and communities of Southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast. Working alongside local partners and landowners, she helps protect the remarkable diversity of Big Thicket National Preserve and the wild beaches of Padre Island National Seashore.

Before joining NPCA, Kari spent eight years as Assistant to the County Judge in Polk County, managing the budget, grants, and policy and coordinating the county’s legislative work. That experience showed her how much people can accomplish when neighbors and local leaders work toward a shared goal. In 2020, she co-founded Polk County Recycling and Beautification, a community nonprofit she currently leads as board president.

Kari earned her BBA from Sam Houston State University. Her love of the outdoors began in childhood, exploring the woods and creeks north of Houston. Today she and her husband, Brian, hike the trails of East Texas, documenting the plants and wildlife they find and never tiring of spotting a species they haven’t seen before.