A Tamaqua native and local sports legend is front and center in making sure logistics for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London go off without a hitch.

Cindy Miller, former basketball star at Tamaqua Area High School, is a vice president for UPS and managing director of corporate divisions in the UK, Ireland and Nordics. UPS, a global leader in package delivery, is taking a primary role as logistics provider for the Games and Miller is taking on responsibility for the project.Last week, she was featured in a full-page interview in City A. M., a London business-focused tabloid. The business feature includes an oversized portrait of Miller, accompanied by a question and answer format that provides details of the logistics and strategic plan required to stage the London Olympics. In the story, Miller explains how UPS intends to successfully meet a global challenge while operating under extreme scrutiny."The Games is the largest peacetime logistical event that's ever staged," said Miller. "The supply chain is extremely complex, it covers air, ground, customs brokerage, warehousing logistics, venue management it really is the gamut. And what makes it the pinnacle is that the supply chain is temporary: it's only in that one place one time; you have to create it."Miller understands the UPS system at all levels.She joined UPS as a package delivery driver in Allentown in 1988 and went on to hold a variety of operational and managerial positions in Philadelphia and New York. At the same time, Miller also worked as a corporate schools instructor involved in the development of supervisors and managers.In October 2000, Miller joined the corporate compliance department at the UPS corporate headquarters in Atlanta at a time when UPS moved into the freight forwarding sector. She quickly moved up the ladder. In December 2001, Miller was promoted to vice president of operations for the Northern Plains District in Omaha. A few years later, she took the role of vice president for the Metro Chicago territory, a role she assumed in October, 2004.In addition to her corporate responsibilities, Miller has also been active in various civic organizations. She was a member of the Urban Leagues of Omaha and Chicago, a board member for the nonprofit organization called Women Employed in Chicago, and an active United Way member.In April 2008, Miller was elevated to president of the South Europe and Africa district, responsible for small package operations throughout Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa.In September 2010, Miller accepted her current position as president of the UPS district serving the UK, Ireland and Nordics. In this role she is responsible for overseeing all operations, strategy and business development in her district.In Tamaqua and throughout the TIMES NEWS coverage area, Miller is remembered for a stellar basketball career. In 1978 she played a key role when the Tamaqua Area High School girls basketball team captured a state title. Coached by Karen Sheets and featuring three 1,000-point scorers, the Tamaqua girls beat Brentwood 70-49 for the PIAA Class AA State Championship.Before graduating from Tamaqua High in 1980, Miller was named First Team All-State and finished her high school career with 2,155 points, a school record for both boys and girls basketball and one that stood for 27 years. It wasn't until 2007 that Miller's point total was eclipsed when Tamaqua scoring sensation Erika Barron tallied 2,317 points in her high school career.Miller holds a degree in business/humanities from Penn State University.She is the daughter of Howard and the late Donna Miller.London's City A. M. might be compared to a business journal type of publication in the U. S. It is printed on a daily basis. The weekday mornings tabloid is a free publication distributed in and around London, operating as an independent media company. Its certified distribution is 113,348 copies a day.