Bio
Dr. Lisa Limtiaco graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and earned a graduate degree from the University of California— Berkeley. While a graduate student, she helped initiate the Suitcase Clinic, a city-wide program in Berkeley for the homeless, which continues to be an effective program for assisting the needs of the homeless and providing means to help them recover. After working in a private optometry practice, she took a three-year sabbatical to study philosophy and theology through the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. This training would lay the foundations for developing a strong work ethic based on theological and anthropological principles, as well as enriching interactions with people in both her professional life and work in the non-profit sector. It also provided the material needed to develop future programs based on social doctrine of the Church and Christian anthropology.
After the sabbatical, she returned to optometric practice and became a partner and business owner in a high-volume group optometry practice in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley. During this time, she participated in management training and taught professional development classes for employees. She initiated specialty clinics for patients with special needs, including visual impairments and learning disabilities, helping them to gain confidence, independence, and excel academically. Currently, she is an associate optometrist in a Beverly Hills group practice, where she developed and now heads the Low Vision Clinic.
She also works as a program director for the Association for Educational Development, a non-profit organization that enables women to integrate purpose, character, and leadership in and through their daily work and is inspired by the teachings of St. Josemaría Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. Her focus is programs for young professional women, since they are pivotal years of life-changing decisions and growth. These programs include mentorship, courses on professional and spiritual development, and ways to integrate faith in one’s daily life, work, and relationships.