Milledgeville Main Street and Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Carlee Schulte has announced that she will be leaving her position Nov. 21 after 15 years in the role.
In 2002, Schulte graduated from Lakeside High School in Atlanta and enrolled at Georgia College & State University to earn her degree in marketing. After graduating, she worked for a short period in sales before deciding to look for a new job market and applying to become the administrative secretary for Milledgeville Main Street and the Downtown Development Authority.
“Sales just wasn’t for me and I began looking for a new venture,” said Schulte. “When I was first hired in 2010, the goal was for me to be trained by the former director to become the director in a few years, but they left within six months of me starting and I took the challenge to fill the role.”
Schulte described herself as “young and enthusiastic” and expressed that she was looking for a way to challenge herself and provide for the community she fell in love with when she took the role. Upon becoming director, she began working closely with the board of directors to oversee multiple programs and developments that would transform downtown Milledgeville into what we know today.
“My initial role focused on the promotion of downtown, but I had to learn more about the economic development side to become the director,” said Schulte. “I wanted to do everything I could to make people know about downtown Milledgeville. During my career, there have been many highlights, including winning the national Great American Mainstreet Award in 2014 and accepting it at the National Mainstreet Conference in Detroit and working so closely with our Deep Roots committee to bring that event to fruition each year.”
Deep Roots began six years prior to Schulte becoming director, but her impact on the committee and the festival’s transformation are lasting. The planning period for Deep Roots Festival is year-round and since Schulte began planning, the festival has become much more community oriented.
“I celebrated 20 years of Deep Roots with our committee, and they’ve continued to plan the festival with the best interest of the community in mind,” said Schulte. “The most impactful part of the process is seeing the completed product in October and hearing the feedback of our locals and tourists who attend.”
Like with Deep Roots, Schulte has also seen the redevelopment of downtown Milledgeville, its expansion, and the inclusion of more and more businesses.
“Seeing the few properties downtown that have utilized the revolving loan funds through the state to build their properties or make them better is another highlight,” said Schulte. “Those are things that have significantly improved our buildings downtown and I am happy to be involved.”
Schulte stated she is glad to see how downtown has grown but still believes there is “room for growth” and that the “work is never done.”
“You always have to consider the economy and trends. They will impact the development of a downtown area and are ever changing,” said Schulte.
In addition to her downtown role, Schulte has helped prepare city press releases for local media and managed the city’s Facebook page. She volunteered to assist after the former communications manager left a few years ago.
“I and a couple of other people took over what was done in her role. It was just another way to help out, engage with the community, and ensure local media and the public are up to date,” said Schulte.
Starting Dec. 1, Schulte will be serving as the director of university events at Georgia College & State University. She will work with the president’s office to create and manage events as well as assist with other departments.
“I will still be a champion and cheerleader for downtown, helping as much as I can,” said Schulte. “I’ve set things up to prepare the next director that will be hired and I’m excited to return to my alma mater, to learn new things, and develop new relationships.”