Tax Collector Nancy C. Millan Named 2026 Recipient of the John A. Pieno, Jr. Sterling Leadership Award

Hillsborough County Tax Collector Honored for Transformational Leadership and a Lifelong Commitment to Performance Excellence 

TAMPA, Fla., June 5, 2026 – The Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office (HCTC) is proud to announce that Tax Collector Nancy Millan has been named the 2026 recipient of the John A. Pieno, Jr. Sterling Leadership Award by The Sterling Council. The award was presented at the Governor’s Sterling Award Banquet during the 34th Sterling Leadership Conference. 

Established in January 2025 by The Sterling Council Board of Directors and sponsored by The Sterling Foundation, the Sterling Leadership Award recognizes exceptional leaders who exemplify Sterling Core Values. The award is named in honor of the late John A. Pieno, Jr., Founder and Chair Emeritus of The Sterling Council – a decorated Navy captain who completed more than 200 Vietnam missions, earned three Silver Stars, and dedicated more than 60 years of his life to leadership and performance excellence. 

Tax Collector Nancy Millan’s selection reflects a career defined by service, innovation, and a commitment to the people of Hillsborough County. Beginning as an accounting clerk and rising to the position of elected Tax Collector during her career of 37 years, Millan has built an organization that consistently exceeds the expectations of the more than one million customers it serves annually. Her “Golden Thread” leadership framework connects every team member’s daily work to the office’s broader mission and contributed to HCTC earning Florida’s Governor’s Sterling Award in 2025 for the second time in the office’s history. 

“Receiving this award is a profound honor, not just for me personally, but for every member of our team who shows up each day committed to excellence in service,” said Millan. “Our relationship with The Sterling Council has shaped who we are as an organization. The Baldrige-based Sterling framework, which we have used at the Tax Collector’s office for 20 years, has given us a common language, a continuous improvement mindset, and the discipline to hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards. Earning the Governor’s Sterling Award in 2025 was a milestone we celebrated together as a team, and the honor of being recognized with the John A Pieno, Jr. Sterling Leadership Award reinforces what I’ve always believed: transformational leadership isn’t about one person, it’s about building a culture where everyone rises together. I am deeply grateful to The Sterling Council and The Sterling Foundation for this recognition, and I accept it on behalf of every member of the HCTC family.”  

Randy Ledbetter, President of The Sterling Foundation and CEO of R Ledbetter & Associates, praised Millan’s decades of impact. “The Sterling Foundation is honored to name Nancy C. Millan as the 2026 recipient of the John A. Pieno, Jr. Sterling Leadership Award,” Ledbetter said. “Her decades of continuous leadership have had a tremendously positive impact throughout Hillsborough County in every aspect of the Tax Collector’s operation, both internally and throughout the community she serves. We were proud to recognize Nancy’s exemplary leadership at the Sterling Leadership Conference.” 

The office’s ongoing engagement with the Sterling performance excellence framework has been a cornerstone of its culture of continuous improvement and its commitment to delivering trusted, customer-centered service to the residents of Hillsborough County.