Onica Schmidt, 36

General Counsel and Chief Legal Affairs Officer, Middle Georgia State University

Tell us about your calling. What brought you to your career field?

I originally imagined a career in politics because I loved public policy and the idea of helping shape institutions. However, I opted to broaden my exposure and begin my career as a corporate attorney. I spent nearly a decade working on business mergers and acquisitions at large law firms in Washington DC and Chicago. It was demanding work, but I enjoyed helping people navigate uncertainty, solve problems, and make complicated things understandable. Eventually this led me to serving clients in higher education. Universities are unique business models because they sit at the intersection of education, public service, innovation, and community, and profit is not the goal. 

Today, as General Counsel for Middle Georgia State University (MGA), I advise leadership on everything from student affairs, real estate, policy management, and donor relations to athletics and emerging AI issues. 

Teaching has always been part of my calling, too. Whether I’m mentoring young attorneys or teaching law students, I love watching someone go from intimidated to confident. I’ve spent my life learning, and I feel privileged to help others do the same.

What other activities are you involved in where you contribute to your community? Especially mention what you’re most excited about.

The organizations with which I’m involved are all about building local ties. I’m president of the InTown Macon Neighborhood Association, serve on the boards of the Macon Film Festival and Hay House, am a member of the 2026 Leadership Macon class, and strongly support Theatre Macon and the Historic Macon Foundation.

I’m especially excited about helping revitalize InTown Macon Neighborhood Association. Like many organizations, it lost momentum due to the pandemic but still remains a community hub. For example, a few weeks ago my family came home from a trip to discover our refrigerator had failed while we were away. Within an hour, neighbors had offered fridge space, brought over a cooler of ice, and even showed up with tools to help diagnose the problem. That wasn’t organized by an app or a committee; it was just people taking care of one another. If I can help create more opportunities for neighbors to know one another, support local businesses, celebrate the arts, and care about the place they live, I think that’s meaningful work.

As you look to the future, what are your professional and personal goals?

Professionally, I hope to spend my career helping mission-driven institutions solve complex problems while building legal teams and cultures that people genuinely enjoy being part of. Personally, my priorities are to be a nurturing mother to my sons, a supportive wife to my incredible husband William, and the kind of friend and family member who shows up consistently. Those relationships matter far more than any title I could ever hold.

Right now, what is the best thing going on in Macon?

Momentum. We’re investing in our historic neighborhoods, supporting local artists, welcoming entrepreneurs, preserving history, and creating opportunities that are uniquely ours. 

I’m especially proud of the role Middle Georgia State University plays in helping drive that momentum by preparing the workforce our region needs and investing in its future. We’re educating the next generation of nurses, teachers, pilots, business leaders, and public servants while launching Georgia’s first public bachelor’s degree in applied artificial intelligence. Through the Georgia Film Academy and the Center for Middle Georgia Studies, we’re also strengthening the creative economy and deepening our understanding of the region we call home.

How do you think Macon is aligning to open the door wider for more people to feel included and share in our success? How has that shaped your values and actions?

I admire that Macon is willing to let people write themselves into its story. This is a city with an extraordinary history, but it doesn’t expect newcomers to admire that history from the sidelines. Instead, it invites them to become part of what comes next. 

My family experienced that firsthand. We moved here only a few years ago, and almost immediately people began asking not, “Where are you from?” but “How can you get involved?” That invitation changed me. It’s why I said yes when our neighborhood association needed a president. It’s why I joined the boards of the Macon Film Festival and the Hay House. It’s why I enjoy connecting students, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders. Inclusion is about making people feel welcome and giving them immediate opportunities to contribute. 

I’ve also learned that inclusion isn’t a trait a city can just declare. It looks like neighbors introducing one another, local businesses remembering your name (shout out to Macon Bagels), or volunteers deciding that someone else’s success matters to them too. The more I’ve experienced that culture, the more intentional I’ve become about creating it for others.

What is your vision for our community?

I hope everyone in Macon can find a place where they feel accepted and affirmed. Combating loneliness is a multi-billion dollar industry and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared it an epidemic in 2023. I am not an island and am surrounded by so many avenues for real connection, be it the local Montessori community, my faith family at First Baptist Church of Christ, my book club of incredible women who also have young kids, or even just walking into Rabbit Hole and running into so many familiar faces. I want others in our community to have their own spaces of belonging as well.

What are three qualities that got you where you are today?

Curiosity. I’ve always believed that asking thoughtful questions is one of the fastest ways to learn. Some of the best opportunities in my life have started because I was willing to raise my hand, admit what I didn’t know, and stay genuinely interested. 

Connector. People are at the heart of everything I do. I love bringing people together, whether it’s introducing future colleagues, future friends, or people who simply have something to learn from one another. Watching those connections grow is one of the most rewarding parts of my life. 

Sense of humor. I don’t think we help anyone by taking ourselves too seriously. I find full delight in life from Broadway musicals, sleeping in, and antiquing to reality television and throwing theme parties. Joy is part of resilience.