Each month, we highlight an Ohio 4-H alum who has an amazing story to share—from their personal experience in 4-H to how they have given back to the program. This month, we feature Brian Mills, a proud Washington County 4-H alumnus who works as the director of Enterprise AI at Google.
Looking back, Mills sees his participation in 4-H as inevitable. “My mother was in 4-H when she was a kid and all my friends were involved, so it was always the 
assumption that I would join too,” he said.
Throughout his eight years as a member of the Vincent Ramrods 4-H Club, Mills completed a variety of projects, but his main areas of interest were the electricity, cooking, arts, and photography projects. “Winning a clock trophy at the Ohio State Fair for one of my projects is still a favorite memory from 
my time in 4-H,” said Mills. “It was really great to be recognized at the state level for all my hard work.”
“Outside of project work 4-H provided lots of other opportunities to try new things. I gained leadership experience by serving as my club’s treasurer and was able to travel for 4-H Club Congress,” Mills said.
To this day, Mills is grateful for his 4-H experiences and the mentors who helped guide him along the way. “My club advisor, Mona Barret, and 4-H educator, Vicki Schwartz, both had big impacts on my life and development as I grew into a young adult. I’ll 
always be appreciative of their support during those formative years.”
Today, Mills works for Google as the director for Enterprise AI and believes the lessons he learned in 4-H still help him in his work today. “4-H taught me so many important skills that I have continued to use into adulthood. I learned authenticity, how to develop a strong work ethic, and clarity of thought thanks to 4-H,” said Mills.
For current 4-H’ers, Mills encourages youth to keep expanding their horizons and trying new things. “It important to do the things that you’re passionate about, but make sure that you’re stretching yourself and getting out your comfort zone at the same time. This not only helps prepare you for life, but you also may find something new that you love in the process.”