Volunteering at Camp Fire First Texas Leads Brian Miller to a Lifelong Passion for Helping Children Heal

ONE WEEK AS A VOLUNTEER AT A SUMMER CAMP 30 YEARS AGO changed Brian Miller’s life. Now he’s using that same transformative power to uplift thousands of children across North Texas.

As president and CEO of Fort Worth-based nonprofit Camp Fire First Texas, Miller ’95 combines his expertise as a licensed professional counselor with his love for the outdoors. He facilitates programs where children and teens can heal, whether they’re grieving a loss, recovering from trauma or simply disconnecting from screens to reconnect with themselves.

From Credit Hours to Career

Born in Michigan and raised in northwest Fort Worth, Miller came to TCU as a biology major. While “doing mediocre at best” in school at the time, he said, something clicked when he started taking psychology classes.

Brian Miller began volunteering at Camp Fire First Texas’ annual El Tesoro de la Vida grief camp in 1993.

One day after class, Miller’s professor David Cross, co-founder of TCU’s Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, suggested Miller participate in a field study opportunity at a therapeutic camp.

“I basically just heard, ‘You can get credit for going to summer camp,’ ” Miller said. What Miller didn’t realize was how profoundly that summer would redirect his life.

In 1993, Miller volunteered at El Tesoro de la Vida, a weeklong grief camp hosted by Camp Fire First Texas in Granbury, Texas, for children and teens who had lost a parent or sibling. He has returned every summer since — first as a volunteer and eventually as a full-time employee.

“I was amazed by how much therapeutic progress the kids made in such a short time in that environment,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t a clinician at the time, I couldn’t believe how much it changed their life in just one week.”

When the week ended, Miller sought guidance from the professionals at the camp. “How do I grow up and do what you do?” he asked. Upon learning they were therapists, he decided to change his major to psychology.

After graduating from TCU, Miller went on to earn a master’s in counseling psychology from Abilene Christian University. He then completed 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience to become a licensed professional counselor.

Miller spent 11 years working for My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, advancing from case manager to therapist to program manager for residential and outpatient clinics.

Later, he spent nine years as a clinical services supervisor with Centene Corp., overseeing therapists stationed at military bases worldwide and providing crucial mental health support to service members and their families.

Throughout his clinical career, Miller remained connected to Camp Fire First Texas, serving as a therapist in various programs. He also maintained lasting friendships with fellow staff, including Denis Cranford, a longtime volunteer camp director for El Tesoro de la Vida, whom he met during his first summer volunteering.

Cranford, who served as a groomsman at Miller’s wedding, said he has enjoyed watching him grow from a college student into a dedicated professional who puts his passion into practice.

“It’s not always easy to get [kids] to share their emotions,” Cranford said, but Miller “has this way of being cool and putting them at ease. He’s got a real talent for gaining their trust and getting them to talk and share.”

Coming Full Circle

In 2018, 25 years after his first visit, Miller returned to Camp Fire First Texas as vice president of outdoor programs, overseeing all activities at Camp El Tesoro’s scenic 223-acre Granbury property. Miller, who said he believes the benefits of camp are particularly crucial in an age of rampant mental health challenges among youth, made it his mission to expand the organization’s therapeutic camps.

“I think kids are really struggling right now,” he said. “We’re seeing the highest instances of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts in teens that we’ve ever seen, so I think it’s a great time to be working on the solution side of that.”

Under Miller’s leadership, Camp Fire developed partnerships with the Gladney Center for Adoption, the Texas Workforce Commission, CancerCare and others, creating camp experiences for adopted children, for those with learning disabilities or autism, for pediatric cancer patients and more.

“I think kids are really struggling right now. We’re seeing the highest instances of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts in teens that we’ve ever seen, so I think it’s a great time to be working on the solution side of that.”
Brian Miller

“There’s incredible therapeutic value in the outdoors, especially now, when our youth are so screen-addicted,” Miller said. “We know that exercise — everything from taking a walk to trail running — helps with the neurotransmitters that make us happy.”

This philosophy stems from Miller’s own life. He and his wife are Ironman triathletes who spend most of their time together outdoors. Miller also volunteers with Operation Canyon Rising every other year, guiding disabled veterans on rim-to-rim hikes of the Grand Canyon.

Brian Miller champions the outdoors as a pathway to youth healing and development.

Miller’s role at Camp Fire eventually expanded to include facility oversight for the organization’s entire operations, from Camp El Tesoro’s sprawling grounds with 60 buildings to the Fort Worth resource center. When the previous CEO stepped down, Miller was tapped to fill in. After eight months, in December 2023, he was named president and CEO.

Miller oversees three main programs outside camp: structured after-school care for elementary students; teen engagement opportunities including STEM activities, college visits and cultural experiences; and education, mentorship and apprenticeship for early childhood educators. These initiatives are offered at child care centers and select schools throughout Fort Worth and Aledo.

“We do a lot with the time we have with the children after school,” Miller said. “We really feel like it’s a value-add to their regular education experience.”

A Campus to Campground Collaboration

As CEO, Miller has prioritized building strategic community partnerships that expand Camp Fire’s reach and impact, including a growing collaboration with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development.

Casey Call ’99 MEd (MEd ’04, MS ’11, PhD ’12), associate director of education and associate professor of professional practice at the Karyn Purvis Institute, has encouraged several TCU child development students to put their education into practice as volunteers at Camp Fire’s therapeutic summer camps.

“They really get to take their classroom intervention skills and put them to use with kids at the camp who are homesick or having problems with socializing or behavioral issues,” Call said.

TCU child development students learn Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, a revolutionary method of attachment-centered intervention developed by Karyn Purvis ’97 (MS ’01, PhD ’03) and Cross. Implemented worldwide, the method uses relationships and connections to help children and families heal from developmental trauma.

Melissa Burdett ’23 MS, who volunteered at El Tesoro de la Vida grief camp as a master’s student, said that a key principle of Trust-Based Relational Intervention® is balancing structure with nurture: When children need more discipline, they also need an equal increase in connection and emotional support. “I noticed a boy and his counselor struggling, and I was able to help the counselor understand this principle,” Burdett said. “It really helped him be able to be more successful with the child.”

“The TCU students from the Karyn Purvis school were an incredible addition to our camp staff,” Miller said. “They made it possible for some children who were struggling to have a good experience at camp. They even helped our other camp counselors with training tips and other insights that made our staff better.”

Brian Miller was named president and CEO of Camp Fire First Texas in December 2023.

Leading with Purpose

As CEO, Miller brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and business acumen to Camp Fire First Texas. In 2025, he was honored with the Outstanding Service Award by the American Camp Association Texoma for his dedication and impact in the camping community.

Noting his versatility, Cranford described Miller as “a true generalist” who can do it all. “He really understands how to treat a nonprofit as a business, but he also makes everybody feel important and involved and builds really strong teams.”

Looking ahead, Miller plans to continue expanding Camp Fire First Texas’ impact, championing the transformative benefits of the great outdoors to enhance youth healing and development.

“I’m really proud that my entire career has been in service to people,” he said, “and I’m pleased to be working on the solution to one of the biggest problems that faces our society.”