By Steven Krolak
(NEW ALBANY, Ind.)—Ashlea A. Meyer, B.S. Business Marketing ’01, has a big job.
Meyer became the 35th Atlanta Postmaster on Sept. 7, 2018. As Postmaster, she is responsible for over 1,400 employees who work in 47 retail stations, branches and mail carrier units that deliver to more than 500,000 addresses. She also oversees an annual operating budget of approximately $130 million.
“There really is not a typical day as a Postmaster,” said Meyer. “I spend a lot of time working with customers to resolve issues, but most importantly mentoring our managers to provide world class customer service.”
Meyer’s history with the Postal Service goes way back.
During her last year at IU Southeast in 2001, Meyer began working as a letter carrier, a position her mother had held.
“On those perfect weather days, everyone wants your job!” Meyer said. “I loved talking to the customers and bringing a smile to their face.”
She also enjoyed being her own manager. Two years later she was promoted to a supervisor role. She eventually worked her way up through the Postal Service in various positions including manager, postmaster, district human resources manager and as a city delivery specialist for headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Meyer credits IU Southeast with helping her to develop the skills necessary to succeed in her current varied role.
“My job is all about process management, budget and leadership,” Meyer said. “I learned the educational piece of each of these in business school, and am able to apply learning from my courses in finance, accounting, marketing and management daily.”
Meyer chose to attend IU Southeast for a variety of reasons. It was convenient and combined a respected degree from Indiana University with a small-town feel and affordable prices. In addition, her father, Earl Meyer ’71 had graduated from IU Southeast with a degree in political science. It was also friendly to a young woman who had a more exploratory turn of mind, and eventually she found her way to the School of Business.
“I was not sure what I wanted to do,” Meyer said. “But I knew with a business degree, I would be keeping many options open.”
Those options would eventually include law school—In addition to her business degree from IU Southeast, Meyer holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law.
“During my undergraduate time, I was able to understand my learning style—hands-on and auditory,” Meyer said. “This was a strong contributor to why I passed the bar exam on my first try while working full time.”
Among the skills that Meyer honed at the IU Southeast School of Business: teamwork, presentation and writing, task and time management.
From working with others to speaking to groups large and small, and from persuasive expression to prioritizing tasks, Meyer has relied on skills learned in business school to steadily advance in her organization.
“The sky is the limit with a business degree from IU Southeast,” Meyer said.
Note: This story was adapted from an article in the IU Southeast magazine by Bria Staten-Favors.
Homepage photo courtesy of Ashlea Meyer ’01.