Lisa Manaster is eager to help build awareness and accelerate the discovery of treatments for CACNA1A. She lives in Connecticut and has three children, a daughter-in-law, and recently was blessed with her first grandchild! After years of genetic testing, her youngest daughter, Emily, finally received a diagnosis of CACNA1A in 2017 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. She is excited to be a founding partner of the CACNA1A Foundation and improve the lives of those affected by CACNA1A-related disorders. She believes that sharing your story with the world can effect change.

Lisa@cacna1a.org