Raised in a military family, Lisa was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, and has lived in Virginia, New Jersey and Kansas before finally settling in New Hampshire while in high school. She briefly studied Business Administration at the University of New Hampshire and Accounting at New Hampshire College before marrying and starting her family. Lisa and her husband relocated to the Hudson Valley in 1992, where they have raised their four children. After an 18-year career in retail, she joined the staff at The Ashokan Center in June 2016.