Message from the new Director of Development, Lisa Gaynor

I wanted to take a brief moment of your time to introduce myself to all of you.
I’m Lisa Gaynor a long time community member of both Westchester and Santa Monica. I am so pleased to let you all know that I am now the new senior development director of EmpowerTech. I know that I have some big shoes to fill following behind Ally Walker, but I do want to assure you all that I have the background and the resources to do a fantastic job not only for EmpowerTech’s students but for the organization as a whole.

For the past 5 years I have been an independent grant writer primarily working with nonprofits in the LA County area. It is through my expertise that Common Ground received one of their largest grants to date. I am a mother of 3 children all of whom graduated Santa Monica High School and both of my son’s are recent graduates of LMU (class of 2008 and 2010).

I want to let you in on the true reason that I made my decision to join EmpowerTech, and that is I had an uncle with a disability. He was diagnosed with polio in 1938 at 20 months old. We all seem to forget that back then this was a death sentence but due to perseverance by my grandmother he became an invaluable member of the community. He was an extremely talented artist, but the only job that he could get was working in an electronics firm as an assistant.

His dream was to design sports car models similar to “Hot Wheels”. I can only wonder what his life would have been like if EmpowerTech and assistive technology was around back then. His struggles and disenfranchisement from the community may not have happened had he had a computer and the necessary training. The first time I walked through EmpowerTech’s doors I remembered all the stories my uncle told me of his childhood and the taunts other kids bestowed upon him. I don’t ever want that to happen to anyone that comes to EmpowerTech. I want to give them the tools that allow them to achieve unprecedented levels of independence, self-confidence and fulfillment. I am honored to be a part of EmpowerTech’s team and to the memory of my uncle and those that will come behind him, I promise all of you I will do my job and do it well