Virgil A. Miller, who served as FAMU student body president during the 2004-2005 school year, has been hired as chief of staff for freshman Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans.According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “Miller came highly touted by both Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the senior Democrat in the House, for whom Miller worked on the Energy and Commerce Committee.”
As health policy advisor to Dingell, Miller was instrumental in securing passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which granted Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products, as well as the FDA Amendments Act of 2007. He has also been instrumental in drafting legislation aimed at protecting the nation's medical product and food supply, including the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.
Prior to joining Dingell’s staff, Miller served as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellow in the office of U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY).
Miller is a native of West Palm Beach, Fla. He earned his B.S. in biology and a master of public health from FAMU.