From a young age, Amanda Miller Bartlome had a knack for bridging gaps. Moving from Michigan to New Albany just before seventh grade, she quickly built connections on basketball courts, soccer fields and in the classroom.
Those early experiences shaped not only her personal life but also her devotion to community, a commitment she now channels in her role as Meta’s Community Development Regional Manager, bridging technology and local needs to create meaningful change in the region.
The early years
Amanda Miller Bartlome
Although she was born in Cincinnati, the majority of Miller Bartlome’s childhood was spent in Michigan. When she was 9, her mother, Melissa, got a job in Columbus. Her mother spent about a year-and-a-half commuting to and from Columbus to Michigan until they decided to relocate permanently just before Miller Bartlome entered seventh grade.
Although she didn’t know anyone, Miller Bartlome also did not shy away from finding her place. After arriving in New Albany on the first day in her new home, she was in basketball clothes and on the court at AAU practice.
“I met a ton of my best friends that way. One of my first friends that I met the first night in New Albany stood at my wedding,” Miller Bartlome says. “I think that’s really a testament to what New Albany is in the community. There was never a point in time when I didn’t feel welcomed.”
Amanda Miller Bartlome
She immediately felt embraced through the New Albany community, and while she built friendships on the basketball court and soccer field, she developed her career ambitions in the classroom. Classes such as Modern European History and Ethics were formative in her decision to study political science.
“(The teachers) are unapologetic about how focused they are on student success, and I felt that on day one,” Miller Bartlome says. “The teachers, the curriculum, just the level of engagement that everybody has in your education shows, and you feel it.”
In August of 2016, she had spinal surgery due to scoliosis. Although missing most of the first semester of her junior year was less than ideal, the school worked to ensure she stayed up to date with classes, with a teacher coming to bring assignments each week.
Finding a path
Amanda Miller Bartlome
After graduating from New Albany High School, she ventured back up north and attended Michigan State University.
Miller Bartlome initially started her college career studying political science with the intention of attending law school, but when she took an introductory course in public policy, where she studied the Flint water crisis, her goals took a new form. While she still earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in German, she also completed her master’s degree in public policy.
After graduation, Miller Bartlome took a job as a legislative affairs and communications specialist at Scofes & Associates Consulting, a Lansing-based government affairs firm, where she worked for about a year and a half. However, she felt a pull back to Ohio, where her family was living. In May of 2020, she landed a job with AT&T, where she worked on the legislative affairs team and built integral skills to the work she does today.
“I learned a ton from my bosses at the time, just on building and maintaining relationships… and how important that is,” Miller Bartlome says. “Anyone can start a relationship, but the ability to make sure that it is authentic and genuine is very key to me.”
Following her time at AT&T, she briefly worked as a business development director for Orange Barrel Media. Although she found the work fulfilling, she missed the community engagement she had grown to love. During this period, her personal life was also evolving; she became engaged to her now-husband, Zach. Not long after, a role at Meta opened up that was directly focused on the local connection she had been missing. She applied, and in December 2024, she was offered the job.
An ear for the community
Amanda Miller Bartlome
As Community Development Regional Manager, Miller Bartlome’s role is to serve as a resource to her community, acting as a bridge between Meta and the communities in which it operates.
Amanda Miller Bartlome
Since New Albany is where one of two Meta data centers are located, with another under construction in Middleton Township near Bowling Green, New Albany is a focal point for Meta’s community outreach. Miller Bartlome’s role focuses heavily on relationship-building, outreach and ensuring Meta shows up as a responsible, engaged corporate partner in the local region.
A large part of that comes from Meta’s Data Center Community Action Grants. Through this program, Meta provides financial resources to schools, registered nonprofits and community partners located near data centers.
“This program funds short term, high impact projects that are addressing critical community needs of any eligible nonprofit or local school that is driving impact in (Franklin and Licking County),” Miller Bartlome says.
Grants are awarded to organizations that fit the following criteria: applying tech solutions to address community needs, helping individuals create sustainable and connected communities and expanding access to high-quality STEAM learning opportunities.
Since 2020, New Albany’s program has awarded more than $1.2 million in grants. In 2025, grants were awarded to eight organizations, including three local recipients.
The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts was selected to provide funding for educational arts programming, New Albany Neighborhood Bridges received funds to supply TI-84 graphing calculators and resources for students in need, and New Albany-Plain Local Schools was awarded funding for an outdoor learning classroom in the Early Learning Center. Miller Bartlome says she feels particularly proud of the partnership with New Albany-Plain Local Schools, as an alum.
“Getting to support the outdoor learning classroom is awesome. I was able to take environmental science in high school at New Albany, and we were outside all the time,” she says. “You can go outside while still learning important things about the environment and science.”
Beyond Data Center Community Action Grants, Miller Bartlome assists in additional funding for organic partnerships that form throughout the year. For example, Meta’s funding supports the creation of Ohio State’s new STEM Instruction Innovation Hub, an active-learning classroom designed to help introductory STEM students succeed through collaborative, student-centered teaching spaces. Additionally, she frequently works with the New Albany Community Foundation, which has been a key partner since the data center’s inception.
Committed to connection
Amanda Miller Bartlome
Miller Bartlome is committed to being more than a familiar face. She immerses herself in the community, listening, learning and forming genuine connections. She’s present at everything from fundraisers to strategy meetings, keeping her role hands-on and engaged in every project.
“My sole focus is listening to the community,” Miller Bartlome says. “And there’s no better way to learn about our community and what is important here in Franklin and Licking Counties than from those who are doing the good work here every day.”
At just 29, Miller Bartlome has already found meaningful ways to give back to the community that shaped her. She does this through means ranging from forming connections and feeding off of the energy of others, to crafts she has mastered. This year, she will be on the New Albany Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees, a role that allows her foster new relationships while gaining a deeper understanding of local needs and growth opportunities.
At the heart of her work is a set of values she carries with her every day, shaping how she connects with others and navigates her growing role in the community.
“Be genuine, be authentic, be empathetic,” Miller Bartlome says. “I try very hard to bring that to any conversation, any room, no matter the circumstance.”
Amanda Miller Bartlome
Megan Brokamp is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com.
