Gateway Luncheon

2026 C. Alvin Bertel Award Recipient

For over a decade, Captain Michael Miller served as President of the Associated Branch Pilots (Bar Pilots), an association of professional pilots who guide ocean-going vessels of all sizes and descriptions from the Gulf of Mexico through the narrow channels of Southwest Pass.

Captain Miller began his professional career after spending a year as a cadet on a general cargo ship working all over the world. He then began his apprenticeship with the Bar Pilots in 1986 and was commissioned as a Louisiana State Pilot in 1991. Captain Miller served for 30 years on the Board of Directors of the Bar Pilots, as Vice President for 16 years and was elected President in 2016 and served until his recent retirement in 2026.

Throughout his career Capt. Miller has been a prominent voice in the maritime industry, working tirelessly to ensure safe and efficient transport along the Mississippi River Ship Channel. His work and leadership include, securing $11 million in federal appropriations for repairs to aids to navigation along the Mississippi River Ship Channel, serving as a key advocate for the Mississippi River Ship Channel Deepening Project to bring a 50-foot channel to the Lower Mississippi, and helping to create greater awareness of the critical importance of the LMR system and those who work day and night to keep it open for business.

In addition to his work as Bar Pilot, Captain Miller has served on several area boards and commissions. These include the New Orleans Board of Trade, Mississippi Valley Trade and Transport Council, the Council for a Better Louisiana Leadership Class of 2009, Port Safety Council, World Trade Center New Orleans, Chairman of the Big River Coalition, Regional Vice President of American Pilots Association, Member Committee of 100, and the Lower Mississippi River Safety Advisory Committee. Captain Miller is also a proud Eagle Scout and has received a United States Coast Guard Certificate of Merit.