PICS Employee Spotlight [Get to know Chuche Lee, Program Manager]

At PICS (Partners in Community Supports), a subsidiary of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS), much of our work is behind the scenes. Our Employee Spotlight helps you learn more about our team. This month, get to know Chuche Lee, program manager with PICS!

Q. Tell us a little bit about your career PICS/LSS.

Chuche: I joined PICS as a service coordinator in 2021 and advanced to senior service coordinator in 2023. As a service coordinator, I was part of the Enrollment team, and we enrolled many new families with PICS. What I loved most about being part of the Enrollment team was the opportunity to meet and learn about new people every day.

In 2025, I was promoted to program manager. Now, I work closely with service coordinators to support them and the wonderful families and individuals we serve. 

PICS attends many conferences and events; so, if you spot a PICS booth, there is a good chance I will be there, too!

Q. Could you tell us what attracted you to PICS/LSS and how your vision aligns with the organization’s?

Chuche: In college, I worked directly with individuals as a personal care assistant, and I was able to see firsthand the challenges these individuals experienced. What drew me to PICS is the ability to continue to help multiple people at once. PICS allows me to be part of the process to help.

Q. What do you enjoy most about working at PICS? 

Chuche: In addition to the wonderful people we serve, I truly appreciate the amazing people I work with. 

PICS provides the best work environment where questions are encouraged, everyone is open-minded and supportive. The kindness and welcomeness of everyone at PICS make it easy to forget I am even at work.

Q. PICS' Shared Values include being trustworthy, compassionate, knowledgeable, collaborative and responsive. How have you been able to implement your own personal values while working at PICS?

Chuche: My personal values closely align with PICS' shared values, which makes my everyday work much more fulfilling. I am naturally empathetic and always look for the best in people. Empathy and compassion overlap, which is why PICS' compassionate value resonates with me the most.

The most rewarding part of my work is supporting the needs of the families and individuals we serve.

Q. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Chuche: Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my friends. They are more than just my social network; they have become my family. 

I love playing computer games like Diablo, League of Legends, Stardew Valley, and Jackbox games. For board games, I love Settlers of Catan, Spyfall, Ticket to Ride, and Azul. 

Q. Share a fun fact about yourself.

Chuche: I do not have a middle name. I learned in sixth grade that this is not common, and to this day, I still think about that conversation.

Q. Where is your favorite place to be?

Chuche: My favorite place to be is an amusement park because I love roller coasters. I used to have an annual pass to Valleyfair, and I would go multiple times every summer.

Q. If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?

Chuche: I would love to learn American Sign Language. I have always been curious about it, but I currently do not have the time to dedicate myself to it.

Q. You're happiest when...

Chuche: I am happiest when I am in bed watching a movie or show. It sounds simple, but "Me Time" is hard to come by when my loving friends always invite me to spend time with them.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share?

Chuche: I love to cook. On YouTube, 90% of my recommendations are food related and the other 10% are educational videos (such as Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell).

Here is what some of Chuche’s colleagues have to say about him…

“Chuche is very easy to work with and always happy to help with any needs the team may have. He is knowledgeable and skilled, which benefits the team in many ways, such as turnaround time for responses and timely completion of the team's workload. A couple of things that make Chuche stand out are his positivity and willingness to collaborate.”

“Chuche is always willing to go above and beyond to help his team members and the families we serve. As an enrollment team member, Chuche is the first point of contact for many of our new families. He is always looking at ways to improve processes to best support families. He is willing to test new systems and stay late to help record training videos. Chuche's number one focus is always the families we serve; every decision he makes is with the families we support in mind. His dedication and passion to helping our families is evident.”

“Chuche is a phenomenal coworker! He is so supportive of the families we serve and is great support on the enrollment team for our new participants. Chuche also does a great job at taking the lead on the service coordinator team by answering questions and being a mentor.

Chuche is involved in many workgroups and is an integral part of the enrollment team. Whenever we are looking for volunteers for various projects or workgroups, Chuche is one of the first to help. He is always willing to go out of his way to help others.

He is just a fantastic person with a positive energy!”

We are grateful to have you on PICS’ team, Chuche! Thank you for all you do!