‘I Get Great Satisfaction from Helping People’.
Ira Lazic Associate Dean for Administration
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
Hometown: Korça, Albania.
Extracurriculars: “I haven’t had a lot of time for extracurriculars in the environment that I’m in, but I do enjoy playing chess and taking walks in the park with my dog, Timmy.”
On June 17, Ira Lazic will join the School of Public Health as the Associate Dean for Administration.
Most recently you served as the Acting Chief Administrative Officer at the FBI’s Boston Bureau, but you’ve also held senior administrative and operations roles in international health. Can you share details about your background?
As an immigrant, I came to the United States from Albania in 1996. I completed my formal education here, graduating from Simmons University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science, and a minor in economics. Throughout my academic experience, I also worked full-time as a program coordinator at Catholic Charities. The scope of my work was refugee resettlement, in the aftermath of the civil wars in Bosnia and Kosovo that led to the Dayton Peace Agreement. While at Catholic Charities, I did a lot of work with Kosovar and Bosnian refugees, as well as with the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Subsequently, I worked at Boston Children’s Hospital and was in charge of the European Division of the International Health Services. We brought severely ill children, primarily from Europe, to receive treatment. Throughout this time, I also earned my master’s in public affairs and public policy from UMass Boston.
After Children’s Hospital, I transitioned to the Mass Spectrometry Resource at the School of Medicine as the administrative manager, where I became more familiar with the world of grants and NIH funding. I had the pleasure of working with outstanding researchers whose work aimed to improve people’s quality of life.
What led you to join the FBI?
Prior to the Mass Spectrometry Resource, I had applied to work for the US government, but it was a job that took a significant amount of time to materialize—obtaining a Top Secret clearance can take a year or two. Subsequently, I became an analyst for the FBI, spending roughly a decade and a half working on an array of cases, from organized crime, to public corruption and counterterrorism. Throughout the years, I earned a number of promotions, ending up as the acting Chief Administrative Officer for the Boston division, which covers most of New England.
After serving in an executive role within the Boston division, I decided it was time to transition into the private sector. BUMC is near and dear to my heart because I’ve worked with very talented people there, and the School of Public Health has always had an outstanding reputation. The interview process at SPH was lengthy—they almost beat the Bureau! In my view, good things always take time. More and more, I got that warm and fuzzy feeling that this is the place I want to be.
Did you draw a connection between the investigative nature of public health and law enforcement, and how each field is driven to protect the public in different ways?
My mantra in life has always been that I love working with people and I enjoy being in a field where I can help people.
The Bureau was perhaps the key place where I learned the true value of integrity, bravery, team work, camaraderie, compassion, and fidelity. Most importantly, I was afforded many opportunities to lead by example, practicing the type of leadership that embodies both kindness and accountability.
I get great personal satisfaction from helping people. Both the FBI and SPH work hard to help people, whether it is by protecting the larger community and combating crime, or by engaging in research that helps improves lives. I think it was Winston Churchill who said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I definitely see this new position as an opportunity to continue to be part of a team that works collectively to improve lives. I am confident that I will put my skills to good use, and work with the entire administration to enhance processes improvement. I see my new role as one which will allow me to continue setting high standards for myself and the team, work hard to reach those standards collectively, and re-motivate the whole team to go above and beyond.
What are your immediate goals in your new position?
My immediate goal is to work hard to understand the needs of the staff and faculty at the school, properly evaluating what works well and identify areas for improvement, if any. I also want to better understand what team members expect of someone in my position and establish best ways for me to render myself helpful and valuable to the goal and mission of SPH.
What is one additional detail that you would like the SPH community to know about you?
One of the things that I think is important to share is how much I value true leadership and team work. I am someone who strongly believes in the value of teams, in being kind and fighting for your team, but also in practicing accountability and being a good steward of those we serve. I am also someone who truly believes in leading by example; I do believe that good leaders have to be confident, but also humble. I see myself being part of this community, learning about all members of the community, understanding their needs, and putting myself in the position where I serve them as well. My primary goal is to render myself available, and to learn as much as possible about BU, the BU community, and the SPH community, and then see what I can do to make everyone’s lives easier—in short, how I can help all of us be well.