On January 15, 1979, Cindy Gorgichuk began her career as a secretary with LESA. At the time, though, she wasn’t sure she was going to stay. About three weeks after she got hired, she didn’t think it was the right job for her.
“And yet here I am!” exclaims Cindy.
Over the years, Cindy has taken on many different roles, including bookkeeper, payroll and benefits administrator, and more recently, CPLED (previously known as Bar Admission) registrar. She has also worked with all six Executive Directors – Peter Owen QC, William Galloway, Professor John Law, Hugh A. Robertson QC, Paul F. Wood QC, and Jennifer Flynn.
“Things have changed a great deal,” explains Cindy. “When I started, our offices were on the fourth floor of the Courthouse, and there were three of us – Executive Director Peter Owen, the Program Coordinator and me. We also had two employees in the Calgary office – Associate Director William Galloway and his secretary.”
Between 1975 and 1984, LESA moved three times – from an office at a law firm called Cormie Kennedy (currently Miller Thompson), to the fourth floor of the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, and then to what is currently known as the Enbridge Tower. In the 1990s, LESA relocated to the current location in the Bell Tower.
There have been many other changes as well. Cindy remembers when all the registrations for seminars in Edmonton and Calgary were handled by the Faculty of Extension at both the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. LESA became much more involved in the seminars once Hugh A. Robertson QC became the Executive Director. It was also around that time that the Calgary LESA office was closed.
Cindy even remembers when LESA got its first computer – for a staff of five!
“We all had to take turns using it,” she says with a laugh.
After almost 35 years at LESA, Cindy knows she is going to miss the friendships she has formed with LESA’s volunteers.
“There are some really great people that I got to know, and I came to realize that we couldn’t do what we do without all of our volunteers. The thing that blows me away is their commitment to LESA.”
As Cindy prepares for retirement, she is trying to keep her schedule as free as possible.
“Right now my immediate plans will be getting my house ready to sell and down the road to do some volunteer work. I’m kind of leaning towards Hope Mission, but I just want to enjoy life for a while.”
Congratulations, Cindy! Thank you for over three decades of service to LESA.
