Cynthia Germanotta

Cynthia Louise Germanotta (née Bissett; born August 30, 1954) is an American philanthropist, activist and entrepreneur. She is the president of the Born This Way Foundation, which she co-founded with her daughter, Lady Gaga, in 2012.[1][2]

Cynthia Germanotta
Born
Cynthia Louise Bissett

(1954-08-30) August 30, 1954
Wheeling, West Virginia
U.S.
OccupationPhilanthropist, activist, entrepreneur
Spouse(s)Joseph Germanotta
ChildrenLady Gaga
Natali Germanotta

Early life, education, and career

Germanotta was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia. Her parents are Paul Douglas Bissett and Veronica Rose Ferrie. She has an older brother, Paul, and a younger sister, Cheryl Ann.[3]

Germanotta attended West Virginia University and earned a master's degree in public administration from George Washington University.[4]

Germanotta worked for Verizon as a telecommunications executive in sales and management.[4][3]

Philanthropy and activism

In 2012, Germanotta and her daughter, Lady Gaga, co-founded the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on inspiring youth, ending bullying, and building up communities.[5][6] Later that year, the foundation was awarded the Family Online Safety Institute's Award for Outstanding Achievement. Under Germanotta's leadership, the foundation also received the National Association of School Psychologists' Special Friend to Children Award in 2013 and the Anti-Defamation League's No Place for Hate Making a Difference Award in 2015. Germanotta was honored by Boston PFLAG and by Dancing Classrooms for her advocacy regarding youth mental health.[4]

Germanotta is an advocate for the Women's Council on Heart Health for the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute and serves on the board of the Empowerment Initiative at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also served on the Ladies Auxiliary Committee of The Columbus Citizens Foundation, for which she received the Humanitarian Award in 2015. As of 2016, she serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Parsons School of Design.[4]

On June 10, 2018, Germanotta addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Born This Way Foundation and launched the United for Global Mental Health initiative.[7][8] On May 20, 2019, the United Nations' World Health Organization announced that Germanotta would be one of four new Goodwill Ambassadors, as the ambassador for mental health.[9]

Personal life

Germanotta is married to Joseph Germanotta, an internet entrepreneur and restaurateur, and lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[10][11] She previously lived in West Village.[12] They own an Italian restaurant in New York called Joanne Trattoria and have two daughters, Stefani and Natali.[13][14][15] Germanotta is Catholic and is a parishioner at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.[16]

In 2017, she appeared in the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two.[17]

References
  1. Bhuiyan, Johana (2016-06-01). "The president of the Born This Way Foundation urges tech executives to sign a pledge to end online harassment". Vox. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  2. lcrenshaw (2016-01-19). "Cynthia Germanotta". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  3. "A Guide to Lady Gaga's Universe". Rolling Stone. 25 May 2011.
  4. "Cynthia Bissett Germanotta". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 19 January 2016.
  5. "About the Foundation - Born This Way Foundation". Archived from the original on 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  6. Germanotta, Cynthia. "Cynthia Germanotta". Oprah Magazine.
  7. "Lady Gaga's Mom Cynthia Germanotta Addresses UN, Stresses the Importance of Mental Health Resources". Billboard. 26 September 2018.
  8. "Lady Gaga's Mom Speaks At The UN About Mental Health". 94.1 The Sound Seattle. 27 September 2018.
  9. "Lady Gaga's Mom Cynthia Germanotta Named Goodwill Ambassador for the UN's World Health Organization". Billboard. 20 May 2019.
  10. Pesta, Abigail (29 February 2012). "Meet Lady Gaga's Mama, Cynthia Germanotta". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  11. Beaudoin, Kate. "The Story of How Lady Gaga Became Famous Will Make You Like Her Even More". Mic.
  12. Marine, Brooke. "A History of Glenn Close's Friendship With Lady Gaga's Mom". W Magazine.
  13. Staff, A. O. L. "Lady Gaga's mom opens up about Thanksgiving plans". AOL.com.
  14. "Biography of Cynthia Germanotta for Appearances, Speaking Engagements". www.allamericanspeakers.com.
  15. "Lady Gaga's Mom on Her Daughter's Mental Health Struggles". InStyle.com.
  16. Ragusa, Gina; Articles, More; April 21, 2019 (21 April 2019). "'RHONY:' What Is Dorinda Medley's Connection to Lady Gaga?".CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. "11 Things We Learned in Lady Gaga's 'Five Foot Two' Netflix Documentary". Billboard. 22 September 2017.
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