Former U.S. Army Sergeant Kari Miller lost both her legs in a car accident when she was in was hit by a drunk driver while on leave from military duty in 1999. After the accident, she discovered wheelchair-based sports, including her favorite, wheelchair basketball. Through dedicated training and coaching, she made the sitting volleyball U.S. Paralympic Team. She started competing for the Paralympic Games in 2007, where she won a silver medal for her participation at the Sitting Volleyball Invitational.

In 2008, she participated at the World Organization Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD), where she won a bronze medal. During the same year she received another silver medal for her participation at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. During this time, Miller began working for the U.S. Paralympic Military program and was responsible for setting up the program for newly injured service members at the Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval, and Fortt Belvoir facilities, with an emphasis on positive profile utilization (i.e., what the service member can do versus cannot do).

In 2009, Miller was awarded Paralympian of the Year. In 2010 she won a silver medal at the Parapan American Championship, which was held in Colorado. The same year she received a gold medal for another WOVD Championship. In both 2011 and 2012 she won gold medals at ECVD Continental Cup, Parapan American Zonal Championship and Volleyball Masters. She also received a fourth silver medal for her participation at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and a gold medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

Throughout her Paralympic career, Miller also has worked with multiple services to create adaptive programing and events. She also created and ran the community programs U.S. Air Force Wounded Ill and Injured program. Miller has served as sitting volleyball coach for both Army and Air Force sitting volleyball teams for the Wounded Ill and Injured.

As Move United’s director of people and culture, Miller leads the organization’s internal and external diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including leading the organization’s DEI Leadership Committee, of which she previously served as a member.

The committee provides strategic insight, direction and recommendations to the executive director as to how the organization should commit financial, operational and human resources. The committee includes leaders in the adaptive sports movement with diverse perspectives and experiences and meets regularly to assess how Move United can better serve persons with disabilities, particularly those of diverse backgrounds. Committee members help identify the gaps and barriers in the adaptive sports field and act as champions of necessary change.