Full circle: From Milledgeville Main Street to GCSU Campus 

Some careers follow a straight line. Carlee Schulte's took the scenic route, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

A Pivot That Changed Everything

Schulte started her journey right here at Georgia College & State University as a mass communication major, but a fear of public speaking sent her pivoting fast. 

"My younger self was absolutely terrified," she laughs. 

She switched to marketing, and as it turns out, that split-second decision changed everything.

Finding Home and Taking the Leap

After graduating, Schulte jumped into the working world as a staffing agent with Randstad in Alpharetta, sharpening her sales skills in the fast-paced city. But she and her husband quickly discovered they were small-town people at heart. A transfer to the Milledgeville office brought her home, and home is where her real story began. When the 2009 recession hit and she was laid off, she found herself with an unexpected gift: A year at home with her two-month-old son. When she was ready to return to work, she stumbled across an administrative secretary position with Milledgeville Main Street. The director hinted it could lead somewhere bigger. Schulte took the leap.

Fifteen Years of Building Something Beautiful

What happened next was almost storybook. The director who hired her resigned, and Schulte, after a brief stint as interim director, was handed the keys. For 15 years, she led downtown Milledgeville's transformation into a thriving retail, restaurant and entertainment district, earning some of the most prestigious honors in the industry along the way, including the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Downtown of the Year from the Georgia Downtown Association. Both are national recognitions for a creative program she positioned for success. Not bad for someone who just wanted to avoid public speaking class. If you walk around downtown, or attend Milledgeville's First Friday events, you can see Schulte's work in action.

A Mentor, A Model, A Message

Through it all, one GCSU professor stayed close. Dr. Renee Fontenot, (now retired), whom Schulte calls "the hardest yet best professor I had at GCSU," became both a classroom challenge and long-time career mentor. 

"She pushed us to really know the material," Schulte said. 

The relationship is a perfect example of the advice Schulte now gives to students: The connections you make here matter long after graduation.

Welcome Back to Campus

Just four months ago, Schulte returned to the GCSU campus. This time, as director of University Events. 

"Coming back has been a full-circle experience," she said. 

And while the role is new, her philosophy is the same one that has guided her all along: be flexible, embrace the stumbles, lean on your relationships and always keep the human element front and center, whether in marketing, events or life.

For current students, her message is simple. 

"Get involved, start building your network now and enjoy every moment of it," Schulte said. "After all, you never know where those hallways might lead you."