2022 - Take Five With…Lesia Gemelli

Take five today and learn about Lesia Gemelli, director of employee benefits. Gemelli has been with ECC since 2012, right after her youngest turned one year old. “I was thrilled I could walk across campus to visit him at the onsite lab school,” said Gemelli. Before joining Elgin Community College, Gemelli worked at the Village of Palatine.

Read on to learn more about Gemelli, like where she met her husband in her hometown of Crystal Lake.

What should your colleagues know about your position at ECC? Human Resources is in the people business. The Benefits department, in particular, has the privilege of overseeing and supporting ECC employees’ life cycle and well-being. This process starts with new hire steps and includes separation, retirement, family growth, and loss. We also support all employees' emotional and financial health with balance support and guidance along the way.

If you could instantly be an expert at one thing, what would you choose? Another language or two. I have always been in awe of people fluent in multiple languages. 

What was your first ever job? I was one of the folks handing out samples at Jewel on weekends since my parents had a strict “no working on school nights” policy.  I especially enjoyed meeting all sorts of interesting people, including a few celebrities and celebrity chefs. When it was slow, I could walk the aisles and come up with crazy ingredients for my parents to figure out how to use. After the “no school nights” policy was overturned, I was able to work at the Dairy Queen in my town with one of my high school besties. It was there that I met my hubby. 

Binge watcher, book club, or both? I’d like to say book club, but my eyes like being lazy after work, so I’m a binge-watcher for sure.  

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why? My dad. He died when I was 22. I miss him every day.