Influential Woman · Nonprofit
Lisa Ray
CEO and founder, Angel Spots for Hope Foundation,
Jamaica, NY
Her Story
About Lisa
Lisa Ray serves as the CEO and founder of Angel Spots for Hope Foundation, a nonprofit she launched in 2020 to provide grants for mobility products, adaptive equipment, and copay assistance to people with disabilities, especially those affected by multiple sclerosis. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, she spent 30 years in financial services on Wall Street and over a decade promoting urban comedy, helping launch the careers of comedians such as Mike Epps, Tracy Moore, and J.D. Smooth. After experiencing balance issues that led to a misdiagnosis and back surgery around 2008, Ray was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2016. She channeled her experiences into advocacy and education, earning a master's degree in disability studies from CUNY School of Professional Studies in May 2017 with a perfect 4.0 GPA, following her undergraduate studies in organizational management at Nyatt College. In addition to her nonprofit work, Ray is an author and poet who published the book Angel's Heart, Guided by Life and adapted it into the play Life is Poetic. She also contributes to the community by engineering and broadcasting at YC Radio at York College, where she teaches students hosting and show development skills. Ray attributes her success to her faith in God and her determination as an overcomer who refuses to let her disability define her.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lisa
01What do you attribute your success to?
My faith in God. Definitely my faith in God, because He's keeping me. He has been keeping me, especially when, when I've, you know. I am definitely an overcomer. I don't allow... and I get... I'm somebody, you know, some people... Can't... Some people always have to have people with them. And I know a lot of people, and I have a lot of friends and family or whatever, but... I am a person that can be alone and can be productive while being alone.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Never give up on yourself. Just, you know what, never give up on yourself. And I mean, I... many years ago, a friend of mine... he was like, I'm surprised you didn't, you know, pursue education, you know, you're so smart, you're so driven... that was probably the best advice, just to keep going. You know, I'm a life... life learner, you know. I'm always looking to, you know, better myself and learn as much as possible.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If they don't know much about it, I think start volunteering in... in a space that... Has the type of services that they're looking to do, to get involved in. do some volunteer work. If, you know, especially as a young person, if you're in school, start volunteering, start looking into internships, where you can, add value according to your own skills, and where you could also learn. So, you know, you can glean from somebody who's already in the space.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me is my personal challenges... if I get up and I'm not feeling good, you know, listening... I have to listen to my body and know when to not... okay, today's gonna be a light day, I can't do too much. But just staying on top, staying connected to people, reaching out to, elected officials, letting people in your community know what you're doing... I think lining up yourself with like-minded people, people that are serving the community... collaboration is huge.
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