Charlie Meade enjoyed an outstanding career as a member of the cross country and track and field programs. He holds the distinction of being just one of three Emory runners to have earned All-America acclaim in cross country twice, racing to those honors in 2008 and 2009. His 8K time of 24:49 in 2008 established a school mark at the NCAA Championships and stood for over 10 years. The following campaign he crossed the finish line 12th overall at nationals, still the program's second-best individual showing at that event, and helped Emory finish 14th, second best all-time in school annals. In outdoor track, he earned All-UAA honors in the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and as a member of the 4x800 relay team. In addition, he still holds two of the school's top-10 times in the 5,000 meters (outdoor).
Q: Occupation and where you reside?
CM: I am a manager at L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consultancy. I am dedicated to the Retail and Consumer Practice, specializing in the home goods and food and beverage sectors. Currently I live in Old Greenwich, CT which is about an hour outside of the New York City.
Q: Can you give an update on some of your experiences post-Emory to where you are now?
CM: Since Emory, I have bounced back and forth between Boston and NYC a couple of times. I started my career at Liberty Mutual Insurance and then pivoted into management consulting with the goal of gaining experience in other industries. I spent a few years working at Galt & Co., which is a boutique consultancy specializing in profit improvement projects for Fortune 200 companies. Galt offered me the ability to learn from executives at some of the world's leading companies and to work abroad South Africa, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and China. After a few years there, I went back to get my MBA at Columbia Business School. I wanted to take the time to reflect on my career and gain a better sense of professional direction.
At CBS, I realized that I wanted to double down in consulting and found a home at L.E.K. Consulting because of its mentorship opportunities and travel-light model, which has allowed me to spend more time at home with my wife, Ali, and newborn daughter, Catherine. We are all settled down now outside of NYC and I couldn't be happier to with my experience at L.E.K. and network of friends and family in the area.
Between work and personal travel, I have been fortunate enough to visit 25 countries since graduating from Emory. A few of the highlights from my travels include going to the World Cup in South Africa, hiking in Patagonia, celebrating Octoberfest in Munich, and having the most picturesque honeymoon in Greece.
Q: What were the primary factors in you choosing Emory as your college?
CM: For me, Emory offered the best combination of top-notch academics, a leading athletics program, temperate weather (great for cross country and track training!), and supportive network of teammates and peers. The culture of Emory includes working hard in the classroom, but also knowing how to relax and enjoy time off around campus and the Atlanta-area. I just remember leaving my recruiting trip and being blown away with the quality of life and people I experienced in my short time there.
From an academics standpoint, I knew I wanted to study business in college and Goizueta Business School was one of the first reasons I looked at Emory. I had heard about the school's reputation for being one of the top undergraduate business programs in the country and my time there exceeded every one of my lofty expectations. Goizueta does a fantastic job at preparing its students for their first jobs. I learned many of the core skills that I still rely upon today in my career.
Q: What are some of your reflections upon your time at Emory, both as a member of the cross country and track teams and as a student?
CM: As you can tell from my earlier responses, I had a fantastic time at Emory and I still smile when I think back about the experiences I had and friends I still keep in touch with. Being a part of the Cross Country and Track teams only enhanced my experience because it offered me a built-in support network of the most talented student-athletes on campus. Plus, the coaches and administration were incredibly supportive in making sure we had every opportunity to succeed both on and off the track. I wouldn't have changed my four years there for anything and I cannot recommend the Emory XC and track teams enough to interested candidates.
Q: Who were some of the people who influenced you during your time at Emory?
CM: The most influential people for me were my teammates and coaches. While Goizueta also offered some of the best business professors in the country, it was really the Emory Cross Country and Track teams that had the biggest impact on my time there. Most of this was based purely on the sheer number of hours we all spent together, including traveling the country for meets and spending countless hours training together. I made lifelong friends and I still count the coaches as some of the best mentors I've ever had.
Q: You were an All-American in cross country in 2008 and 2009, just one of three Emory runners to be a two-time All-American. How did you view that accomplishment when you were in school compared to how you may view some 10 years later?
CM: I still consider the 2009 Cross Country Nationals to be one of my greatest life achievements, not only because I achieved my personal goal of finishing in the top 15, but also because my teammates had great races too and we were able to finish 14th place as a team. I couldn't have performed at that level without the immense support of my coaches and teammates and the joy I felt after that race still exists with me today.
Time has only offered me more perspective on the achievement, and I think my success in cross country gave me the confidence to continue pursuing my professional goals after graduation.
Q: What are some other cross country or track highlights that you remember while competing at Emory?
CM: There are too many highlights to count, but I think my biggest takeaway overall was the positive impact that team travel had on my college experience. It seems counterintuitive that I would have some of my best memories away from campus, but I think the shared experience of flying or caravanning to meets with my teammates really drew us together as a team. I got to bond with so many individuals and I think those moments and relationships I built are what still stand out to me as my best memories of Cross Country and Track.
Q: Running cross country, usually into mid to late November, and then transitioning to indoor and outdoor track, it seems like you were constantly training and competing -- were the challenges you faced doing that mostly physical or mental as far as the grind?
CM: It was definitely a grind, as you mentioned, but I think the coaches did a great job at mentally preparing us for the change in seasons. The administration also helped with established guidelines that made balancing academics and sports more sustainable.
While it was difficult at times, the challenge forced us all to be more disciplined about our training and studying. That discipline helped prepare us up to handle the many competing priorities and interests of the real world after graduation.
Q: How did you prepare yourself before major competitions?
CM: Cross country and track require you to be in peak physical form for competitions. Most of my preparation was following the detailed training programs created by the Emory coaching staff, but I also did my best to get rest and eat quality calories before competitions.
The other aspect of my preparation for major competitions was goal setting. Our coaches preached the benefits of writing out our goals and keeping them somewhere where we'd see them on a daily basis. I would write my season goals on index cards and keep them around my desk. This mental preparation was critical to staying focused during tough stretches of the seasons and one the big reasons our team was as successful as it was.
Q: How you are surviving the pandemic and how has it affected you?
CM: The pandemic has obviously been tough, but my wife and I welcomed our daughter, Catherine, to the world a few weeks ago and it's been a blessing to spend more time with her at home. While everyone has been dealing with challenges related to the pandemic, I think the silver lining of this situation has been the quality family time we've all enjoyed.
Professionally, the pandemic has grounded my frequent work travel and switched my firm to be completely work-from-home for the year. Now that the trend has proven the efficacy of the remote model, I imagine I will still maintain some form of at-home work even after the pandemic has passed. For those who have been able to work from home, I think we've all seen the benefits of eliminating our commutes and I am going to prioritize that flexibility going forward.
Q: Do you still run competitively?
CM: I trained for a few big races after graduating from Emory, including the Falmouth Road Race and J.P. Morgan corporate challenge. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to train competitively in the last few years, but I still run to stay in shape and enjoy time outdoors.
Q: Any interests/hobbies or things you do to relax when away from work?
CM: Work tends to take up most of my time, but my focus outside of work is now playing with and taking care of my newborn daughter. Many parents have told me that the time passes before your eyes, so I am cherishing each fleeting moment with her. My wife and I have a renewed appreciation for life and family that we're holding onto at every turn.
Q: Any former teammates that you are in contact with?
CM: I still talk to tons of my former teammates. The network of Emory runners is strong, especially in the NYC-area as many us have ended up back here for work.
Q: Are you able to keep up with Emory cross country and track and field?
CM: I do my best to keep up with the team from afar. Every fall and spring I'm reminded of the championship meet schedule, so I'll check recent results to see how everyone is doing. When the meets are in the NYC-area, many of us try to attend and cheer on the team against conference competition.
Q: Is there anything that you take from being a student-athlete into your profession?
CM: The two biggest things I took away from being a student-athlete were the discipline of multi-season training regiments and the practice of goal setting using visual cues. Consulting can have its brutal weeks from time to time and being dedicated to a series of short and long-term goals always keeps me motivated on the task at hand.
Q: What advice you would give Emory students/future grads?
CM: The best advice I could give is to be entrepreneurial with your careers and always have goals for where you want to be two steps down the road. Career paths aren't always 100% clear after graduation, but it's important to think about where you want to be (e.g., roles, experiences) and evaluate opportunities based on how they set you up for those next milestones.
The entrepreneurial piece is tied to the fact that only you know your true potential. If you relentlessly advocate for yourself and take calculated risks in pursuit of your goals, the sky is the limit.
Q: Any other items you would like to add?
CM: Go Eagles!!!
Charlie with his wife, Ali, and daughter Catherine.