A Fireside Chat with Gail Miller: Making a Difference

Join us for this webinar that features a top Utah philanthropist and how she has made a difference throughout her life and career.
About this Event

The Utah Women & Leadership Project invites you step into a world of inspiration and empowerment by joining our 2025 ten-part webinar “Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series.” This series is a celebration of dynamic and influential women who have shattered the glass ceiling landscape in Utah.

This webinar focuses on one woman leader who has made a difference in Utah and beyond for decades. Dr. Susan R. Madsen will interview Gail Miller, co-founder and owner of the Larry H. Miller Company and chair of the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation. Considered a female pioneer in the business world, Gail credits her mother for teaching her what courage is, a lesson she would lean on after Larry’s death in 2009. Gail became the leader of more than 80 companies, the family foundation, and even had the final say on who played on the Utah Jazz. Her courage, vision, and commitment to making a difference have amplified the Larry H. Miller Company’s legacy of business leadership, community building, and philanthropic giving throughout the state. Gail will share inspiring lessons she has learned from her unexpected journey. She will also share why she believes women have more opportunities than ever before to excel in business. Finally, Gail will share her thoughts on what it means to “live your life on purpose,” and how being intentional with resources, talents, and passion can be a catalyst for making a difference in the lives of others, and especially in your own.

Sponsors: Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University & Utah State University Extension

Panelist

Gail Miller is the co-founder and owner of the Larry H. Miller Company, established by Larry and Gail in May of 1979 with the purchase of their first automobile dealership in Murray, Utah. Today, the company has a diversified portfolio of businesses and investments across the United States. Their headquarters are in Sandy, Utah. After Larry’s death in 2009, Gail took an active role in the business and continued to grow their legacy. She created and served as chair of the LHM Board of Directors for five years before turning over that position to her son, Steve. She remains an active member of the board. The business oversees a portfolio of business platforms and companies spanning real estate, healthcare, sports, entertainment, and investments. Gail is also chair of the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation and presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation. Gail has been recognized with many public and private honors. She is the recipient of six honorary doctorate degrees, the Congressional Award Foundation’s Horizon Award, the Salt Lake Chamber’s Giant in Our City Award, and the internationally recognized ATHENA Award. Gail gives freely of her time and actively participates in many business, civic and educational endeavors. She serves on the Zions Bank Advisory Board, Shelter the Homeless Board, and is co-chair of the Kem C. Gardner Institute. In 2024, she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Utah State University. She is the author of the book, Courage to Be You, Inspiring Lessons from an Unexpected Journey. Gail and her husband, Kim Wilson, have a combined family of nine children and a large posterity.

Moderator

Dr. Susan R. Madsen is considered one of the top global scholars and thought leaders on the topic of women’s leadership, has authored or edited nine books, and has published hundreds of articles, chapters, and reports. Her research has been cited in the U.S. News and World Report, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post. She is also a regular contributor to Forbes and other local and state newspapers. Professor Madsen is the Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and serves on many nonprofit and community boards. She is also the Founding Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, the visionary behind Utah’s A Bolder Way Forward, and her passion is to strengthen the impact of girls and women in Utah and worldwide.