A help-wanted ad in The Pantagraph led to a 28-year career at Illinois State University for Dianne Feasley.
Appears InArriving on campus in 1990 after previously working at a local hospital, Feasley served as an associate director in Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality, and its predecessor units, until 2018.
“I just really enjoyed working with students, mentoring staff members, and working on new projects,” she said. “I got to do a lot of things.”
Feasley said that while her job title never changed, a lot of her work did over the years. She helped implement computer software for ordering, menus, and recipes, oversaw venue remodeling, trained staff, supervised professional practice students and dietetic interns, and worked with students with food allergies and eating disorders.
“The most important part of what I did was working with people, and the most rewarding thing was seeing other people succeed,” Feasley said. “Whether it was somebody who had an eating disorder and recovered and now sends me a picture of their baby they were healthy enough to have, or an intern or former student employee that calls to tell me about their new job, or a staff member who advanced within the department—those are the stories I carry with me.”
Retired for nearly five years now, Feasley spends her time volunteering, exploring the outdoors, and visiting with her family. She volunteers with Parklands Foundation at Letcher Basin nature preserve, removing invasive species and performing controlled burns. She serves as treasurer for Wild Ones, a group that promotes the use of native plants to support the ecosystem. She is on the board of the Hudson Public Library. And she loves to spend time outdoors with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Feasley made many friends and touched many lives at Illinois State. Her best advice? “Get to know people,” she said. “Listen to people’s stories.”
Feasley can be reached at dfeasley@gmail.com.
