Emil N. Dupuy

Picture of Emil Dupuy Sitting at his Desk
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Before joining our staff in 1991, Emil spent twenty-nine years as controller for National Industries for the Blind (NIB) on the East Coast. NIB is the central nonprofit agency that coordinates sales of blind-made products to the federal government. "An opportunity came up here, and to Emil's credit, he wanted to see what it was like in the trenches where the products are made," George continues.
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Emil and Sheila, his bride of forty-one years, have six children and ten grandchildren. Although they left most of their family behind, Emil has no regrets about their move west. "I thought about it and decided it would be a good move," Emil explains. "I looked at it as a great educational opportunity. It is a totally different environment than NIB, which is technical and administrative. Here at the Seattle Lighthouse I got to see firsthand the capabilities of blind and Deaf-Blind people. I learned more about blindness in my first year here than I did in twenty-nine years at NIB."

Emil speaks proudly of many positive developments during his tenure in Seattle. The organization consistently offers wages and benefits at the top of the scale for comparable nonprofits. "We've had clean audits without audit adjustments for years," he reports.

Emil also cites advancements in training, technology and access to communication. "Computers have been a big key," he says.
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Emil also points to the formation of two important employee committees as milestones of particular note.
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In 1994, Emil volunteered to take on human resources functions for a few months. "I told George I'd assess the situation so we could hire the right people to come in and take it over," Emil remembers. "And I'm still doing it. The most difficult aspect of Emil's management of human resources centers on the occasional economic downturn. "When we have had to go into layoff mode, it tears the heart out of you," he says. "It's very difficult because you know the reality is that it's very unlikely blind and Deaf-Blind people will find another position. But we have to do what is necessary to maintain the health of the organization over the long haul, or everyone would be out of a job."

George lauds Emil for his role in managing our human resources. "It was a natural for him because of his personality," he explains. "Emil has a great understanding of our mission and is able to relate it to the employees here.
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Emil also plans to resume his life-long tradition of attending baseball games in New York City. "I'm looking forward to walking in to Yankee Stadium wearing my Mariners hat," he concludes.

Emil N. Dupuy