Carly Hysell enjoys life on the run — and that’s more than a metaphor. She recently ran the Chicago Marathon and after the race, she returned to her fast-paced role of running Garmin’s Public Relations team.
“Running is a huge part of my life now, although I didn’t start running until my late 20s,” Hysell said. “I’ve completed more than a dozen half marathons, and recently I challenged myself to run a full marathon, which led to another one a year later. I travel quite a bit for work, and running is one of my favorite ways to explore a new place.”
Applying similar drive and determination to her role as Associate Director of Public Relations at Garmin International, Hysell described the most enjoyable parts of her job as helping bring new products and innovations to market and seeing the response they generate across the industry and beyond.
“I love learning from the talented teams behind a product—how it came to be, the problem it solves and the work that went into it—and then shapingthat into a story people can understand, relate to and connect with,” she said.
To fully frame this, let’s start with some background.
From Bachelor’s to Billfish
Born in Alexandria, Minn., Hysell grew up in Topeka, Ks. but she spentsummers and winter breaks with family in Alexandria. Summers on local lakes instilled a love for the water that would come full circle with a rewarding career in the outdoor industry.
After graduating from Kansas State University (2007) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations, Hysell moved toOverland Park, Ks., a suburb of Kansas City. Calling this area home for about two decades, Hysell enjoys the midwestern lifestyle with her husband, Drew, and their 11-year-old son Brady.
“My son is very involved in sports—baseball, basketball, golf and flag football, so I spend a lot of my free time cheering him on,” Hysell said. “Ourfamily also has a ski boat, and we love being on the water with family and friends. Even though the boat doesn’t have any rod lockers, we still fish from it plenty.
“I love to fish—whether it’s bass or billfish. I enjoy the pursuit and anticipation because every day and every cast is different, and it’s hard to have a bad day on the water.”
Noting that her earliest fishing memories involve ice fishing for northern pike with her father and grandfather, Hysell calls Hillsdale Lake her favorite bass fishery. That one may not lead the Bassmaster Top-100 list, but it holds a special place in her story.
“It’s just south of Garmin’s headquarters (in Olathe, Ks.), and it’s where we do a lot of product testing and training,” Hysell said. “In fact, while LiveScope 2 HD was still in development, I caught one of the first bass using it on that lake.”
We like to ask folks about their personal best bass, but that’s not always the best metric of angling success. Hysell admits she has yet to boat a boast-worthy bass, but her diverse fishing background has definitely produced impressive accomplishments.
“I’m probably one of the few women in Kansas with a Pacific sailfishmounted proudly on the living room wall,” she said. “I also have a huge snook mounted in the basement, which is probably unusual for this part of the country too.
“Maybe a bass will be next!”
HER Path
Spring 2027 will mark Hysell’s 18th year with Garmin, a relationship founded on sincere interest and grown through a shared desire to bring technological advancements to the outdoor community.
“I started at Garmin as a college intern and joined the company full time after graduation,” Hysell said. “Garmin is vertically integrated, so everything—from concept and engineering to marketing and PR—is done in-house. I spent many years as a PR specialist before moving into a leadership role in 2014.
“I was drawn to Garmin by the opportunity to work for a company known for innovation, but also by the purpose behind that innovation. Garminproducts solve real problems, enhance experiences and help people do more of what they love.”
Currently, Hysell leads product public relations across Garmin’s five business segments: fitness, outdoor, aviation, marine and auto OEM. Herteam develops messaging, plans product launches, and coordinates media outreach aimed at telling the Garmin story.
“No two days are the same—which is one of the things I love about the job,” Hysell said. “On any given day, we may be executing PR strategies, supporting events and trade shows, tracking media coverage or working with reviewers to help show customers the benefits of Garmin products and technologies firsthand.”
Insightful Perspective
Any job worth doing will have its difficulties, but Hysell considers one of the most challenging parts of her job to also be one of the most rewarding. In her words, that’s translating highly technical product features into clear, compelling stories for a wide range of audiences.
“Garmin serves many different markets, so we have to balance technical accuracy with information that is relevant and meaningful to media, customers and industry influencers,” Hysell said.
So how about the high points? For those special memories, she points to the launches of LiveScope, the first live-scanning sonar for recreational fishing (2018), and Force, Garmin’s first trolling motor for the freshwater market (2019). Thanks to Hysell and her team’s efforts, both productsearned the ICAST Best of Show honors.
The work always takes priority, but Hysell said she has personally enjoyed seeing her company’s pioneering developments long before their public debuts.
“It has been remarkable to watch and even more rewarding to have a front-row seat as teams across Garmin helped shape that progress,” Hysell said. “Marine technology has evolved from showing anglers what is beneath the boat to delivering an increasingly detailed, real-time picture of what is happening around them. At the same time, products have become more connected and intuitive.
“What excites me most is seeing innovation move beyond the professional level and help everyday anglers learn faster, fish more confidently and enjoy their time on the water even more.”
Along the way, varying opinions over the impacts of modern technology — specifically live sonar — have fueled endless debates. Some embrace the electronic advancements, while others prefer “old school” fishing techniques.
Hysell suggests a middle-ground view.
“Technology has always been part of the evolution of fishing, and today’s tools can help anglers better understand fish behavior, underwater structure and changing conditions,” she said. “Used thoughtfully, technology doesn’t replace skill, preparation or time on the water—it gives anglers more information to apply those things.
“You still have to interpret what you see, make decisions and execute. I also believe technology can make fishing more approachable and engaging, particularly for newer and younger anglers, while helping people use their time on the water more effectively.”
Encouraging Words
From working with professional anglers for real-world product insights and feedback, to interacting with media and consumers, Hysell maintains a confidence born of competence that has allowed her to excel in an industry with numerically greater male involvement. To other women seeking careers in a field that welcomes all participants, she says this: Go for it.
“I’d tell them not to wait until they feel completely ready; I certainly didn’t have everything figured out when I started, nor do I now,” Hysell said. “Be curious, ask questions and look for people you can learn from.
“I think that advice is just as true for someone starting out in the industry as it is for seasoned pros! Never stop learning.”
Hysell concludes by pointing out the diverse options for building an outdoor industry career. As she notes, some may be drawn to engineering, while others favor the marketing, sales, communications, events or conservationarenas.
In every case, Hysell urges women to follow their passion and spare no effort in making themselves marketable.
“Find what interests you, learn the business and don’t be afraid to raise your hand when the opportunity comes along,” she said. “Most importantly, be someone others can count on and treat people well. That matters more than you think.”
