Lisa Harvey served on the Board of Directors from January 2007 until September 2010 and was the founding Executive Director from May 2008 until January 2012. Lisa was instrumental in driving MDF from a start-up into a thriving non-profit including laying the groundwork and structure of the organization, launching the first educational and research programs, growing the staff and supporting families in crisis.
Lisa was born in Tokyo, Japan where she spent her childhood and attended the American School in Japan (ASIJ). Lisa received her Bachelor of Science in Business from Auburn University where she played varsity athletics. After several years in public relations, marketing and merchandising positions, Lisa earned an International MBA in Marketing and Japanese from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Prior to joining the MDF, Lisa was a Senior Product Manager at eBay. Lisa’s career at eBay provided her with extensive and varied experiences in international markets and managing complex projects. During her tenure at eBay, Lisa received the prestigious all-company Jeff Skoll Community Award for excellence in serving the eBay community.
In addition to her formal academic achievements, Lisa has trained as an emergency medical technician, provided crisis counseling to families in as part of the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) with the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments, and studied physiology, anatomy and psychology of disability as part of a physical therapy training program. In March 2010 Lisa joined the advisory committee of the University of California Davis, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. In 2011 Lisa joined an author panel convened by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to help write an evidence-based guideline on “Myotonic Dystrophies.”
Kayla was born in July, 2005 with the congenital form of myotonic dystrophy. Kayla’s birth was the catalyst for Lisa’s dedication to help in the effort to find treatments and a cure for myotonic dystrophy.
