Leila El-Badawi is a people-centric, equity-focused professional with an array of experience in human resources, nonprofit administration, and project management supporting workforces of 4 to 1,400. She brings her expertise in (and excitement for) building out systems and processes to support all aspects of the employee life cycle (from HR information systems (HRIS) to leaves of absence) to Positively Partners.
With a process-oriented mindset and a deep appreciation for the humans on the receiving-end of HR policies and practices, Leila is constantly asking how we can be more effective and efficient while remaining equitable and making space for human connection. Leila strives to make the complex simple, serving as a partner to employees and leaders, alike.
Leila started her career working at an afterschool enrichment program, where she found her passion working in the nonprofit sector. Leila quickly went from serving as a part-time Office Manager to overseeing the Support Services department, which managed all administrative functions that supported program operations. As the Manager (and later the Director) of Human Assets, Operations at OneGoal, Leila managed the HR systems and processes that supported all aspects of the employee life cycle, supported policies and HR compliance across 26 states, led an HRIS implementation, and managed the organization’s response to staff-facing COVID-19 policies. Most recently, Leila was the Lead, Benefits & Well-being at OppFi, a mission-driven fintech company, managing benefits, the employee well-being strategy, and leave of absence policies.
Leila earned her Bachelor of Science with honors in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also a Certified Retirement Plan Sponsor Professional (CPSP) with the Plan Sponsor Council of America and is in the process of earning a Professional Certificate in Project Management.
Leila lives in Chicago, Illinois with her partner, Ady; their cat, Zaya; and dog, Rocky.