Even better than expected – part 5

(This is the latest installment in an occasional series about my career’s twists and turns. If you’re a completionist like me and would like to go back to the beginning before seeing how this latest chapter unfolds, I encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Now, for the latest development…)

As evidenced by the four previous posts in this series, my career has been quite a journey. Yes, there have been setbacks, but as the headline suggests, I have no complaints.

The latest transition with my day job occurred this week. As with most topics at New South Essays, this post represents my attempt to continue wrestling with the conflicting thoughts and feelings about leaving a job I loved at a place I loved with people I loved.

On Monday, June 3, I reported to the campus of Oglethorpe University for the last time as vice president of marketing and communications. I dropped off the costume for Petey, the OU mascot, said goodbyes, hugged necks and drove out of the gates, saying a final goodbye to the beautiful, historic campus on Peachtree Road that I have called my work home for two years and nine months.

How did it come to this?

At 6:26 p.m., Tuesday, April 8, I received a text message from my friend and former University System of Georgia colleague, Chris Green, asking if I was available for a phone call. I happened to be commuting home from work when the text came through. I have one of those fancy text readers in my Honda Pilot, allowing me to receive the message and offer the simple response of “Call now” hands-free.

When I heard Chris’s text, I didn’t give it a second thought. I had seen the news that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the state agency responsible for administering Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship, among many other programs that create opportunities for students and adult learners seeking higher education and career training.

I thought a catch-up phone call would be a good way for me to congratulate Chris for this incredible opportunity that I had already acknowledged on my favorite social media platform, LinkedIn. I knew Chris had been serving as senior vice president of external affairs at GSFC. We connected when he was director of economic development at USG, the state agency overseeing Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities, for two of the three years I served as associate vice chancellor for communications there.

We collaborated on a few projects, but also shared an afternoon caffeine habit that gave us time to form a meaningful office friendship. We both left USG about the same time. I went to Oglethorpe, and he went to Georgia State University to serve as director of government and community affairs. Happy for Chris’s career growth and development, I followed his progression with interest as he returned to the Georgia Student Finance Commission as senior vice president of external affairs last June. He had previously been the agency’s director of external affairs for nearly seven years. His homecoming made sense, and I was genuinely happy for him.

I honestly did not think that any of this would ever have anything to do with me. I was on my own path doing my own thing. So when Chris and I spoke on April 8, he asked the fateful question: “Would you ever consider returning to state government?”

In the moment I said, “Yes,” but in my heart I thought, “No.” But the career advice I always give is to have the conversation if someone reaches out. It will be clarifying either way. You could find an exciting new opportunity that you didn’t know you wanted when the conversation started. Or, you could discover new aspects of your current job that you find fulfilling and be inspired in your work at your current employer. It’s a win-win to move forward with talking about a potential move.

I talked it over with Carla for the next few days, and as spring semester at Oglethorpe hit warp speed, I found my mind returning to Chris’s question at inconvenient times. Why was I having an emotional reaction to the annual Honors and Awards Banquet? Why were graduation celebrations bringing out the proud parent in me when the graduates being celebrated were not my children? Why was I having an emotional reaction to a rational decision?

Chris and I agreed to meet for breakfast on April 17. He came prepared in a way I had not anticipated. He gave me a packet of information about GSFC, including its mission, organization chart, and promotional materials. Tucked into a folder was a hard copy of his email to the GSFC staff when he took over on April 1. He articulated his vision of effectively and efficiently serving the students and families of Georgia in a culture of kindness and respect. That appealed to me in the same way working at Oglethorpe has. We were on the same wavelength.

In that meeting, Chris anticipated nearly every question I could raise. He made me an offer I couldn’t ignore. That’s when the truly painful part of the process began in earnest as I seriously and prayerfully considered what my next step should be.

My friend and former colleague Dr. Rob Nash once told me, “Never fall in love with an institution because an institution can’t love you back.” I had fallen in love with Oglethorpe, and just contemplating leaving robbed me of sleep, forced reflection of my workaholic tendencies and elevated a career decision to an identity crisis.

I had unfinished business at Oglethorpe. Yes, we had been able to add staff, tackle a major website upgrade, relaunch the university magazine, grow social media engagement, conduct brand awareness market research, build an overarching campus integrated marketing and communications plan and work on a brand campaign plan with a paid advertising component to raise top of mind awareness for a special university that all too often was referred to as a “hidden gem.” But there was still so much to do.

I loved my team, I had great colleagues on the president’s cabinet and working for President Kathryn McClymond was a pleasure. Her heart was in the right place, and she led with passion and integrity. She sought my counsel and gave me opportunities to lead and have influence. How could I leave a situation with all of this in its favor?

The GSFC job was a promotion from vice president to senior vice president. There was a pay raise. There was the financial opportunity to go back into the state retirement system and build on the risk-free annuity I was already vested in. The GSFC office is in Tucker, 20 minutes from my house. While all valid, those were superficial reasons to take the job.

The choice came down to impact. 

I had been working for nearly three years to introduce Oglethorpe to hundreds of students who were looking for a different kind of university to help them achieve their career goals. GSFC offered the challenge of expanding opportunities for tens of thousands across Georgia by providing HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships to students pursuing postsecondary education. The scope is larger, the resources greater, the team bigger, and the impact greater.

Ultimately, I decided that if I did not take this opportunity, I would live to regret it. Yes, telling my boss, colleagues, team and the university trustees who had shown me so much support would be difficult, but passing on the position with GSFC would leave me in “What if?” mode for the rest of my career. And on the first hard day at Oglethorpe after I turned down GSFC, I would look over my shoulder and regret not leaving. Over time, the regrets would accumulate, and regret would fester into resentment. I love Oglethorpe too much to put myself in a position to resent it.

This has been a grieving process, in a way. All transitions are. But the grieving tells me that my time at Oglethorpe was positive and meaningful and that I will miss it. Grieving doesn’t mean I shouldn’t move forward.

It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week. Last Saturday as I escorted President McClymond and Petey the Petrel at the Governor’s Valedictorian Reception at Georgia State University, the two worlds of Oglethorpe and GSFC collided. GSFC works with the Governor’s office to put on the event, inviting colleges and universities to send representatives and their mascots to greet high school valedictorians who will be coming to their campuses in the fall.

It was exciting to meet two valedictorians heading to Oglethorpe and introduce them to Petey and President McClymond. It was also exciting to participate in a well-run event organized by an effective and dedicated team serving students and their families from across the state.

I hope my friends at Oglethorpe can understand why I made this decision. I am grateful to new colleagues and collaborators at GSFC and in state government who have already welcomed me with open arms this week.

I don’t know what the future holds, but at every turn, my career has turned out better than expected. I look forward to seeing how this takes shape with this new adventure.