Richard L. (Dick) Miller, F.A.I.A., E.D.A.C.
Richard (Dick) Miller earned a bachelor of architecture degree with honors from the University of Kansas in 1966. Shortly after graduating from college, Miller moved to Nashville and has remained an integral part of the city’s business and health care infrastructure ever since.
After relocating, Miller quickly rose through the ranks of Earl Swensson Associates, now known as ESa, an architectural firm specializing in health care design. Just six years after joining the firm, Miller was named President and in early 2018, he was elevated to Chairman of the Board. Under Miller’s leadership, ESa has grown from a small, regional shop with fewer than two dozen employees to a nationally recognized agency with 185 employees—a group that averages 15 years of longevity among them. In his over 52 years there, Miller has guided ESa to become one of the top-ranking health care design firms in the country.
Miller’s passion for health care design and creation of healing environments that support improved patient outcomes, accommodate families and support staff and caregivers is reflected in the medical facilities in which he has had a hand. Of the countless projects he has led, highlights include design of Centennial Medical Center, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Mayo Clinic’s first from-the-ground-up hospital in Phoenix and Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, among others.
In addition to professional accomplishments, Miller is committed to community service. He has long championed the American Heart Association and is involved with Alive Hospice, Hospital Hospitality House, the Nashville Symphony, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the new HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center at the Nashville Zoo.
Despite these extensive career accomplishments, Miller points to his 56-year-marriage to Sharalena as his number 1 personal achievement and the highlight of his life.
A recognized business leader, dedicated family man and committed philanthropist, Dick Miller is a 2019 inductee of the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame.