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, singer Lady Gaga, in 2012.

Early life, education, and career Germanotta was born Cynthia Louise Bissett on August 30, 1954, in Wheeling, West Virginia, where she was also raised. Her parents were Paul Douglas Bissett (April 7, 1926 – March 31, 2013), a State Farm insurance agent who sang with the McMechen Men's Chorus and the McMechen Methodist Choir, and Veronica Rose Ferrie (February 2, 1928 – December 12, 2022).

Germanotta graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia.

Germanotta worked for Verizon as a telecommunications executive in sales and management. Germanotta was honored by Boston PFLAG and by Dancing Classrooms for her advocacy regarding youth mental health. 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.

Personal life Germanotta is married to Joseph Germanotta, an internet entrepreneur and restaurateur. The couple have two daughters, Stefani (Lady Gaga) (born 1986) and Natali (born 1992). Germanotta is Catholic and is a parishioner at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York City. In 2017, she appeared in the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two.