kara lassiter
BY LEAH S . BETHEA
Kara Lassiter has traveled the United States and abroad with previous public relations jobs , but in her position here in Milledgeville she has found a place that feels like home .
Lassiter joined the Chamber of Commerce as membership director back in 2015 and was recently named as the chamber ’ s new director , but prior to that , she began her career as an account executive in the battery industry , working for a company that was a subsidiary of a Japanese corporation . She lived in Atlanta during the time and was fortunate to travel the United States and internationally to Taiwan selling power sport batteries to customers like AutoZone and Yamaha .
Growing up in Macon and later graduating from The University of Georgia with a degree in public relations , she says she always thought she would work in sports management . A move to Milledgeville with her husband several years ago sent her in a new direction , though . She says when she first learned she would be moving to the area , she didn ’ t really know what to expect . What she has found , though , is a perfect fit .
“ I ’ m so lucky to have found this job and to have worked with all of these great businesses here because I don ’ t know if I would feel as connected to the community if I didn ’ t have this job ,” she says . “ I love networking , I love talking to people , I love seeing everybody prosper and grow , so it was not my dream out of college , but now this is the perfect job for me . I thoroughly enjoy it and am happy to come to work every day .”
As membership director for The Chamber of Commerce , Lassiter ’ s role has been engaging , recruiting and retaining chamber members . She has also been responsible for programs like Leadership Baldwin , Reality Check and the local STAR Student program , and she regularly plans events like Business After Hours and Eggs & Issues .
Working with local businesses and organizations has allowed Lassiter to become an engaged community member .
“ I love to see how much it ’ s changed and how we ’ ve grown over the [ past ] few years ,” Lassiter says .
She ’ s passionate about small businesses , as well as providing workforce development that encourages high school and college students to stay in Milledgeville after graduation . She counts her work with the Leadership Baldwin program , which encompasses Youth Leadership Baldwin , as one of her proudest accomplishments . When the Chamber of Commerce took the program back over about five years ago , she says it had stalled . Lassiter was
fortunate to become the coordinator of the program and to witness how it has grown in both the adult and youth aspects . Youth Leadership Baldwin has 31 young people involved this year , which she says is triple the number of students that were enrolled when she started . Between the youth and adult groups , this year ’ s class is Baldwin County ’ s largest to date .
“ It ’ s just been fun seeing it grow and reaching more people and having especially youth kids being excited about it ,” Lassiter says .
Also a member of The Milledgeville Exchange Club , her work through the organization as well as with the Chamber earned Lassiter recognition as Exchange Club Member of the Year last year .
Moving forward , she hopes to continue growing the Chamber through current partnerships and finding new members as well . She hopes to continue partnering with local high schools and colleges to help with workforce development and encourage students to stay in Milledgeville once they enter the workforce . One of her goals is always to showcase Milledgeville as a great place to raise a family and start a career . It ’ s something she has found here for herself .
She says the time she spent in Atlanta before moving to town was fun , but it never quite felt like a place where she wanted to put down roots .
“ I never felt like Atlanta was home ,” she says . “ It just felt so big , and I never knew where I was going , to be honest , sometimes . And then when I moved to Milledgeville , it ’ s like this was home . That small-town feel … I ’ m fortunate to be able to raise my daughter in a community like this where I know people are going to be looking out for her . It ’ s just a good feel to be somewhere like this . It definitely is home .”
Lassiter says she is honored to be selected as one of Milledgeville ’ s 20 under 40 .
“ I ’ m very appreciative of it ,” she says . “ It ’ s nice people seeing what you ’ re doing and appreciating the job that you ’ re doing with it .”
She hopes she can continue to impact this community she has grown to love by helping businesses grow and succeed , as well as through making connections with area students through the variety of programs the Chamber provides .
“ I want to continue to make it a better place to live , work and play ,” she says . “ I want people to come here and know it ’ s a great place to live … I ’ m so glad that I was able to move here and to get so engaged with the community because it really now has become a part of me .”
26 Milledgeville Scene | 20 Under 40 2022