Ulster County Historian Emeritus Geoffrey Miller Receives National Lifetime Achievement Award
KINGSTON, NY — Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck is proud to announce that Geoffrey Miller, long-serving County Historian and current Associate Historian, has been awarded the 2025 Individual Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The award will be presented this September at the AASLH Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Established in 1945, the AASLH Leadership in History Awards program is now in its 80th year and is widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The Individual Lifetime Achievement Award honors those whose career contributions have had a profound and lasting impact on the field of public history.
Geoffrey Miller was appointed Ulster County Historian in 2016 and served in that role through 2024. During his tenure, he transformed the historian’s office from a traditional “font of information” model into a dynamic community-building force. He developed innovative public programming, revitalized professional networks, and helped bring Ulster County’s complex history—spanning from Indigenous communities to 20th-century immigrant neighborhoods—to the public in accessible, meaningful ways. Following the 2025 creation of a full-time County Historian position, Miller continued to serve as Associate Historian, a role he holds today, contributing ongoing research, programs, and advocacy for historical organizations across the region.
“Geoff has never sought accolades, and such things have never had bearing on the performance of his role. However, his impact is unmistakable,” said Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck. “He leads first with kindness and a listening ear, and the results of that approach have strengthened the work of his fellow historians, making their efforts more collaborative, impactful, and rooted in community. His work has not only connected people to history, but also to one another. This award reflects what so many of us already know—Geoff has helped build a stronger, more inclusive historical community in Ulster County and beyond.”
One of Miller’s most transformative contributions has been his work as co-founder of the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History in Kingston. His vision, diplomacy, and persistence helped preserve the historic Reher Bakery and turn it into a thriving cultural site that tells the stories of Black, Jewish, and immigrant communities in the Rondout neighborhood. Today, the Reher Center stands as a national model for community-based preservation and storytelling.
The Ulster County Clerk’s Office congratulates Geoffrey Miller on this well-earned national recognition and extends its deepest gratitude for his decades of service and continuing dedication to the people and history of Ulster County.
To learn more about the AASLH and the 2025 Leadership in History Awards, visit www.aaslh.org. More about the Reher Center can be found at www.rehercenter.org. For further information from the Ulster County Clerk’s Office, please contact Acting County Clerk Taylor Bruck at (845) 340-3040 or countyclerk[at]co.ulster.ny[dot]us.
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