Pendleton Town Administrator To Leave for Greenville Tech Post
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
After more than two decades in city management, Longtime Pendleton Town Administrator Steve Miller is leaving his post in June to take the new position of Chief Financial Officer for Greenville Technical College.
Miller said while he will miss working with the town, he is excited about his days ahead in leadership at Greenville Tech.
“I love city management, but I am excited for this new role,” said Miller. “I wish Pendleton the best,” adding that the town is in a great place to move forward thanks to the work of “those who have served the town and set them up to win.”
He said the new job is simply a transition into what he enjoys most: public service. He said he loved serving the people of Pendleton and making sure they were taken care of by the town. His new role will allow him to serve a different population.
“I still get to serve people, but it will be more geared to helping students and changing lives through education, and the infrastructure of the school,” said Miller.
Miller is no stranger to the school, where he said he had acquired many certifications over the years.
His departure is both “exciting and sad at the same time.” Miller also said he will still live in Pendleton, and both wishes the staff, citizens and council the best and promises to continue to serve as a resource for those who reach out.
Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said Miller will be missed.
“I think Steve is a great person and did a wonderful job in Pendleton,” said Burns. “I am very glad to call him my friend.”
Miller arrived in Pendleton in April 2013, tasked with steering a town of historic charm and modest means toward financial stability. He built five-year proforma plans to match revenues against looming expenses, embedded goal-setting into budgets to mirror the town council’s values and launched the community’s inaugural tax-incremental financing district, corralling support from county and school boards while selecting developers for small-area plans. These yielded over $40 million in grants since 2013, more than $200 million in reinvestments that birthed 100 jobs via the Village Green redevelopment, and a $64 million wastewater plant expansion unlocked by $20.3 million more in funding through savvy privatization.
Under Miller, Pendleton pursued street upgrades on Winston and North Mechanic, sidewalk expansions for walkability, a new police headquarters calibrated to fiscal reality, and the town’s first compensation system tying raises to training and certifications. Employee retention improved; public safety advanced; code enforcement tightened amid new permits in Morton Farms and Lawton Ridge. The town expressed formal gratitude during its first Administrator Week in June of 2025, a nod to a leader who presented strategic values not just to councils but to departments, agencies, and residents alike.
Miller’s Pendleton years, ICMA-credentialed and rooted in prior roles like town manager in Dallas, North Carolina, reveal a craftsman’s approach: identify trends, secure resources, build what lasts. In an era of municipal churn, that experience he expected to bring similar precision to Greenville Tech.
