Board Candidate Bio for Lyss Cypher (2025)
Name: Lyss Cypher
Neighborhood: 6th Ward (Lower Lawrenceville)
What years have you lived in Lawrenceville? Since May 2012 (13 years)
Why did you move to Lawrenceville? Art All Night 2010 first brought me to Lawrenceville
Current job title (if employed): Trauma-Informed Personal Trainer at Cypher Somatics LLC; Disability Justice Trainer & Coach at PeoplesHub
Why do you want to be on the LU Board? I want to be part of creating and sustaining a neighborhood that centers equity. During the years I’ve served on the LU Board, I have had the opportunity to be involved in a wide variety of initiatives, such as inclusionary zoning, bylaw changes to open board access for individuals who were displaced from the neighborhood, food access, and the community COVID-19 response.
Volunteer, Non-Profit, or Board Experience: Lawrenceville United, Board Member (since 2019), former Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair and Board President; PeoplesHub, Disability Justice Trainer / Tech Support Lead (since 2021); Inside Our Minds, Founder (2016-2022).
What makes Lawrenceville unique? Why? I’ve always loved the eclectic nature of Lawrenceville, with such a wide variety of green spaces, restaurants, and small businesses, and so many community spaces and events – all things that we need to preserve and support, especially with the ongoing impact of the pandemic and gentrification.
One of LU’s core values is equity and the organization has recently embraced anti-oppression trainings to support our work in this area. What’s one idea you have for how LU should live out its commitment to equity? Learn more about disability justice and work to create an access-centered neighborhood. Access benefits everyone and is created through interdependence, which strengthens our community.
How are you involved in the Lawrenceville community? In addition to things I’ve listed above, I’ve volunteer regularly at the Lawrenceville Farmers Market – one of my favorite ways to meet neighbors and check out the awesome vendors we have each season.
What would you bring to the LU Board (e.g. experience, skills, perspective, network, etc.)? I bring my expertise from my work in radical mental health (anti-oppressive mental health) and disability justice spaces, especially to committees like Equity and Inclusion. I also love to be involved in volunteering and organizing work, so I’m always happy to lend a hand to neighborhood programs.
What’s one fun fact that others might be surprised to know about you? I compete in Olympic Weightlifting, most recently competing at Masters Nationals in Atlanta!