Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli and City Council honored Vicki Keller and Kenn Miller with the 2024 Senior of the Year Award at the Oct. 15 City Council meeting. The annual award recognizes Naperville residents 65 or older who demonstrate a history of community service and giving back selflessly.
Vicki Keller moved to Naperville in the late 1960s and joined the Naperville Municipal Band, for which she still plays the clarinet. She worked at Naper Settlement for 20 years and continues to collaborate with the museum today as a member of Naperville’s First Congregational Church, preserving the church’s photos and bulletins.
From 2017 to 2019, Keller was active in the Save the Old Nichols Library Committee (now called the Naperville Preservation Committee) to protect the historic landmark from demolition. She has volunteered for several church ministries, most notably as chair of the Community Life Ministry and as the lead in the Arts in Worship Committee. She worked with Naperville leaders to construct the street sign “Ron Keller Commemorative Way,” honoring her husband Ron Keller, who directed the Naperville Municipal Band for 57 years.
Kenn Miller has lived in Naperville for 29 years, serving as a City Councilman for eight of those years. Applying his entrepreneurial background to help others, Miller co-founded Autism Home Support Services, Hub88 and West Suburban Angels investment group. He served on numerous boards, often in leadership positions, including Safe Suburbs, Naperville Responds for Veterans, the Naperville Board of Fire & Police Commissioners, the Downtown Naperville Alliance, and the KidsMatter Trustees, to name a few.
In 2017, on behalf of Good Shepard Church and in partnership with the Naperville Police Department, he led the Mental Health Awareness Ministry initiative. This event brought local leaders, law enforcement, and the faith community together to address addiction and mental health concerns.
—Naperville Senior Task Force
