Lisa Manaster
Lisa Manaster

Lisa co-founded the CACNA1A Foundation in March 2020 and currently serves as President. In 2018, After years of genetic testing, her youngest daughter, Emily, finally received a diagnosis of CACNA1A at the age of 20. While Lisa does not believe earlier identification would have changed their path, supporting research for a cure has become her passion. Lisa has worked as both an advocate and a special educator. She received interdisciplinary leadership training in the field of developmental disabilities as a Fellow in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Cornell University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.