Tonya Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture & Interior Design, earned a Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Louisiana State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. She joined Samford in 2023 after teaching Interior Architecture for eight years at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her effective teaching methods have been recognized with awards, such as the Elizabeth Dalton Award and the Grayson H. Walker Excellence in Teaching Award. Her research interests include sustainability, the built environment’s impacts on social structures, and the role of emerging technology in design education and practice. Her research has been published in academic journals, including The International Journal of Design Management and Professional Practice.

Her professional work spans a variety of market sectors including corporate, education, hospitality, retail, and multi-family residential. Her significant professional experience includes work for notable architecture and design firms in Atlanta, Georgia and southern California. Her commitment to healthy, sustainable environments is evidenced by her status as a WELL AP and LEED AP BD+C. She also contributed to design work featured in the 2009 book, Green School Primer: Lessons in Sustainability. She is currently a registered interior designer in the state of Alabama and an NCIDQ Ambassador.