Lisa Veglia is the Chief Executive Officer of QSAC, an advocate for individuals with autism, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been with QSAC since 1991, having served as the organization’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer for ten years and as the Associate Executive Director for nine years. Before joining QSAC’s senior management team, she held various other leadership positions, including Director of the After School Program and Director of Service Coordination. Lisa launched her career at QSAC as a direct support professional.

Under her leadership, QSAC opened its first education program for children with autism in 1998. QSAC’s education programs quickly expanded with its early intervention program launching in 2001 and a day school for students between the ages of 5 and 21 in 2003. She also spearheaded the launching of services for adults with autism that promote choice and focus on increasing an individual’s independence, including Individual Support Services (ISS) and QSAC’s Self-Advocacy Group.

Lisa serves as the Chairperson of the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities, an organization that advocates for the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities. She is also the Council’s former Vice Chair and a past Co-Chair of the Children’s Committee. Lisa also serves as the President of the board for the Interagency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies (IAC), which represents more than 160 member agencies serving more than 90,000 individuals with developmental disabilities. In addition to serving on the board, she currently serves as the Chair of IAC’s Education Committee and as a past Chair of both the Early Intervention and ICS committees. Before serving as President, Lisa served as the Vice President of IAC.

In addition to advocacy organizations, Lisa is a board member of Advance of Greater New York (AGNY), a member organization of the Advance Care Alliance (ACA). ACA is helping to lead organizations serving individuals with developmental disabilities through the transition to care coordination and managed care. Lisa has served on several ad-hoc committees to address policy development and implementation focused on improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. In 2012, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Lisa to serve on New York City’s Community Services Board, also known as the Mental Hygiene Advisory Board.

A recognized expert on autism services, Lisa has been honored by several organizations for her commitment to the autism community. In 2010, she received the June Marcus Award from the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities. She received the Award of Excellence from the National Center for Disability Services, an Outstanding Service Award from the Queensboro Council of Social Welfare, and the Hearst Scholarship Award in Nonprofit Management from Baruch College. Lisa has been featured in several newspaper articles and was in the 2005/2006 Empire edition of Who’s Who Empowering Executives and Professionals.

Lisa received a Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, a Master’s in Social Work from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Psychology from Queens College. Lisa is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and holds addition New York State certifications in School Business Administration, School District Administration, and School Administration and Supervision.

Lisa is a former adjunct instructor at Nassau Community College where she provided trainings related to management and leadership development for 15 years. She is also the President of the Board of Directors of the Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore, NY.