With a background in finance and public policy, Rose Mayo, MHP ‘20, builds relationships between stakeholders as Outreach Coordinator at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
For someone with a business background, a Master of Historic Preservation may seem like an unexpected choice. But for Rose Mayo, MHP ‘20, the choice felt natural.
A finance and public policy double major at William & Mary, Mayo, inspired by the history around her in Colonial Williamsburg, realized that she didn’t want a career in banking. After graduating, she interned at Knox Heritage, a nonprofit organization in Knoxville, TN focused on community preservation.
“I realized that there is a place for someone with a business background in preservation,’” said Mayo. “I knew that I wanted to go to grad school, and I knew that I needed a solid foundation to enter the field.”
With this realization, Mayo set out in search of graduate programs in historic preservation. Her search led her to the College of Environment and Design’s MHP program.
“I was drawn to UGA for a few reasons, but the deciding factor was the option to take classes outside of the preservation program,” said Mayo. “I could piece together my finance background with my preservation studies.”
In addition to her MHP coursework, Mayo took classes in the planning program and at the Terry College of Business. This multi-disciplinary approach has aided her well in her current role as Outreach Coordinator at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
“Taking classes at Terry has helped inform how I talk to developers from their perspective, being able to bridge the language of business and the language of preservation,” said Mayo.
Mayo’s master’s thesis explored how historic sites interacted with the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton, which centered around the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton.
As outreach coordinator, a large part of Mayo’s job is building relationships with local businesses, governments, residents and organizations across Georgia.
“With the outreach position, I jumped at being able to help steward relationships in new ways and expand our reach,” said Mayo.
Two of the outreach projects that Mayo stewards are the Centennial Farms Program and the Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. The Centennial Farms Program is a community assistance program developed to distinguish family farms that have contributed to preserving Georgia’s agricultural history by maintaining working farms for over 100 years.
“It’s a wonderful program,” said Mayo. “You get to hear so many stories about resilience and innovation…and how proud people are of their farms and their family history on the farms.”
This year the Statewide Historic Preservation Conference will be held in Athens, Georgia from Nov. 5 to 7. Attendees can expect tours of historic Athens landmarks, including North Campus, sessions on a variety of preservation topics from CED faculty and staff and a student poster session from MHP students across the state.
“I’m really excited to bring the conference to Athens,” said Mayo. “Being a MHP grad, I learned so much of the preservation world in Athens. I think it’s going to be a really awesome place to show off to people, and I know our local partners are excited about it.”
Both initiatives fit into Mayo’s larger hope of building a positive reputation for historic preservationists.
“I’ve always been interested in how preservation communicates with the outside world,” said Mayo.“Preservation is part of so much of our daily lives – from the buildings we walk into to the bridges we cross and the stories we tell – but that’s not always apparent to the public, and I have always wanted to make that impact visible.”
Mayo, far right, at the Georgia Preservation Month proclamation signing in May 2025.
CED at SHPC
The Statewide Historic Preservation Conference is in Athens, GA this year! Want to connect with the CED while in Athens? Check out these sessions:*
- Explore historic North Campus through a walking tour led by Professor Cari Goetcheus on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (1:00 – 2:30 PM)
- Student Poster Presentation featuring our Master of Historic Preservation students
- “Losing the Saye Building: Power, Preservation and a Parking Lot” from lecturer Chris Jackson and Professor Emeritus James Reap
- “Survey Options for Local Governments” with Jennifer Lewis, director of the Center for Community Design and Preservation and a student panel
- “Environmental Impacts on Cultural Resources: Basics and Beyond” from professor Cari Goetcheus
*Registration required to attend.
