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Dennis W. Miller

Occupation: Vice president and general manager of Columbia, first for the Rouse Co., which built Columbia, and now for General Growth Properties Inc., which bought Rouse last fall.

In the news: For the past two years, the development company has been attempting to build on the 51.7-acre crescent-shaped property adjacent to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in downtown Columbia. Residents have strongly opposed two proposals, arguing they lacked details and public insight.

Highlight: Responding to that criticism, Miller unveiled to about 500 Columbia residents Wednesday night a draft plan that would turn the planned community's downtown into a bustling urban core connected with roads and walkways, and adding shops, homes and a hotel adjacent to Merriweather. One plan for the land near the pavilion includes a 24-story building, an 18-story building and an eight-story building. That trio could include 704,000 square feet of office space, 148,000 square feet of retail space, 1,000 housing units and a 125-room hotel. In drafting the plan, Miller met with community leaders and a landscape architecture firm.

Personal: Miller, 40, worked as a commercial and real estate banker in the Washington, Northern Virginia and Baltimore areas for 15 years before joining Rouse five years ago. He received a bachelor's degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University. He pursued graduate and executive studies at American University in public finance and at Harvard in urban mixed-use development. Thirteen years ago, he moved to Columbia, where he lives with his wife, Maria, and his daughter, Kristen.

Personal philosophy: "To cherish and live life with the appropriate balance of family, friends and work."