Meet the Team: Jea Seconi, Executive Operations Manager
Pictured above: The Lemelson Foundation’s Executive Operations Manager Jea Seconi traveling through the Glasgow Airport.
Take a peek behind the curtain of The Lemelson Foundation and learn about our staff members. Meet our Executive Operations Manager, Jea Seconi, and what makes her tick, her favorite hobbies, and more!
As Executive Operations Manager at The Lemelson Foundation — where she is the longest-serving employee — Jea Seconi is the quintessential behind-the-scenes person. She ensures that everything does what it is supposed to do: printers print, schedules work, and projects stay on track.
But she also excels with people, whether she’s baking macarons for the staff each month or onboarding new team members.
Her favorite part? “As an extrovert, getting to meet someone new! I love when they bring new ideas or view things we’ve been doing for a long while with fresh eyes. Staying stuck just because ‘we’ve always done it that way’ isn’t effective or efficient.”
When did you discover that you were an organized person?
I guess I’ve always been organized. Even as a kid, I made sure my toys were neat. I just like structure.
You’ve seen the Foundation evolve across nearly two decades. What’s one core value or tradition that has stayed exactly the same since day one?
The Board members truly care about the work of the Foundation and trust the staff. That has been true ever since I started.
Looking back at your first week here versus today, what’s something about how the Foundation works that would completely blow your 2007 mind?
The changing culture.
Operations is often behind the curtain. What’s a major milestone, move, or transformation that you’re quietly proud of?
My all-time favorite project was the 20th anniversary. The planning, the coordination, visiting the factory where they made custom furniture for the reception, going to our co-founder Dolly’s home to chat about the color scheme for the event… The list goes on and on.
If you had to estimate: how many office reorgs, software rollouts, or printer breakdowns have you survived?
Too many to count! New staff (I’m the only one here who was hired by the first executive director), various IT firms, multiple payroll systems, and countless printers with quirks that give staff grief. Why can’t printer drivers update automatically?!
What is the official “ops manager secret” to keeping a foundation running smoothly through seasons of change?
A calm, open mind. There are very few problems that can’t be solved—you just need to put in the work to find the right solution.
What is a work perk, ritual, or internal tool from over the years that you secretly miss?
Non-program staff traveling with program officers to visit grantees.
What’s the most iconic piece of office equipment or relic that’s been here as long as you have?
The battery-operated stapler in the copy room.
And now for the lightning round: What was your first job?
Working the counter at Burger King in high school.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A spy.
Birth order?
First.
Favorite time of day?
Super early in the morning—3:00 or 4:00 AM.
Three words family and friends would use to describe you:
Friendly, fun, outgoing.
First car?
A 1983 Chevy Citation.
Minimalist or maximalist?
A maximalist with minimalist qualities.
Favorite way to travel?
We travel to faraway places, so we fly—but once I get there, I like to walk. That’s the only way to really experience a place.
A place you’d go to again and again?
Sicily. I would move there.
Three favorite things to do on your day off?
Gardening, going out for breakfast, and painting—oil on canvas. I can’t guarantee my paintings are any good, but it’s fun.
You’re also a known Christmas person. When do the trees go up?
October, so I can enjoy them longer.
Favorite room in your home?
Our deck. It looks out over the backyard, garden, trails, and trees. We spend a lot of time out there.
How did you get your first name?
My parents claim they were watching a movie on TV and heard it. They made up a spelling, added “Lynn,” and created a new name: JeaLynn. I’ve never met anyone else with my name. It sounds like a country song: the dog ran away, the husband cheated, the truck got a flat, JeaLynn.
