Aiisha Herring-Miller is a native of Harrisburg, PA and has lived in Philadelphia, PA, since 1998. For 16 years, Aiisha has worked for the City of Philadelphia focusing on community and economic development initiatives. She is currently the Director, Economic Development Zones for the Department of Commerce. She is responsible for leading efforts for the Empowerment Zone’s legacy program, the Neighborhood Funding Stream, a $31 million endowment that provides resources for commercial and industrial development, business development, financial literacy, and job creation.

Aiisha also manages community and economic development initiatives in other areas in Philadelphia that are experiencing disinvestment and blight. She received her Bachelor of Science in History from Lincoln University and a Master of Arts in Urban Studies from Temple University. Aiisha is married to Glenn Miller, Jr. and they have two wonderful sons, Gyasi (Jah-see) and Ajani.

Here are Aiisha’s responses to FunTime’s questions:

What does HBCU mean to you and how has your experience impacted what you do in the community?

My husband and I are proud graduates of Lincoln University. While there, I had the ability to interact with individuals who looked like me but had difference experiences and exposures. Attending an HBCU provided me with a strong sense of self and provided a foundation on how to move professionally in arenas that may be intimidating at first glance.

How can HBCUs be better?

My alma mater could do a better job of highlighting the accomplishments of their alumni and engage alumni on a more professional level to increase their endowment. All HBCUs should promote that they are diverse institutions that educate various races that have different socioeconomic backgrounds. They historically have led efforts to educate and prepare Black, Brown, and Yellow people for the workforce and these institutions are still needed today.