Meet Lenny Ciotti

Lenny Ciotti was, until very recently, the customer experience analyst for the Strategic Communications team. He blends his passion for the arts and the analytical into a unique blend of problem-solving in which he explores creative ways to evaluate data. Despite his day-to-day responsibilities, Lenny always thought he'd pursue a career in acting, even starring in an Italian children's sitcom and participating in a national tour across Italy of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. We spoke with Lenny about everything from his early acting days to new current role at Columbia, all of which underscore Lenny's resilience and a zest for life.

What are your hidden talents?

I love to act and sing. And, I've heard I'm pretty good at both. I always wanted to be an actor. Studying economics was not in the books at all.

Who are your favorite actors and actresses?

Daniel Day-Lewis, Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando.

What brings you joy?

Elise, my wife, playing with my dog, entertaining my friends, and feeling a real sense of togetherness bring me joy. The act of being together and sharing moments is very important to me.

Advice to your younger self?

Chill.

What superpower would you choose for yourself?

The power to heal people—not just from physical wounds, but from all types of scarring and pain.

What is your favorite funny CUIMC story?

When I first got this job, a month before I was scheduled to start, I asked Christine Jennette if I could visit the office. I was working at Harvard at the time in an academic environment. When I walked in, the room was abuzz. Matt [O'Hanlon] and Rachell [Burgos] were putting on a show. It seemed a lot more fun than Harvard.

What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

I was on the national tour for Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Italy. I was also in a children’s sitcom for three years that was broadcast on national television in Italy.

How did you get into acting?

I was 2 or 3 when I said I wanted to be an actor for the first time. My mom used to put me in front of the mirror with hats and scarves when I was still in my highchair. I started acting professionally when I was 12. I went to a conservatory program after high school, but didn’t finish because I started working right away. In my third year, I got my first gig. I moved to Rome and started acting in regional theater. I moved to New York in 2007. After a while, I got tired of always having to find a job. I was looking for some stability, and I didn’t know that I wanted to study anything math-related until I took an economics class in 2015 and fell in love with the subject. I started taking math classes and I realized I wasn’t bad at math after all and I really enjoy it.

Any last thoughts?

I’ll miss the team. I’ll miss everybody here, especially our most frequent office visitors, like Diana [Valentin], Carol [Duarte], [Bourchard] Olmann, Vinny [Rascone], and Yvonne [Wojcicki]. I’ll miss everyone from the entire engineering team, custodial squad, and leadership. I'm excited to work where I also started my learning. I received a degree in Economics from Columbia, and I’d ideally love to work in something policy-related where I can design policy. I will start my master’s degree at GSAS soon, too. Thank you, CUIMC Facilities Management!