Meet Our Board of Directors
Fern Goldstein, President
Fern moved to Delaware from New Jersey in 2019 and has been active in LDA since 2005. As former Vice President and Recording Secretary of LDANJ, she has spoken at national, regional, and state conferences for LDA and other organizations; organized state conferences; written LDANJ’s newsletter; organized fundraising dinners; evaluated scholarship applications; and more.
Fern was the LDA 2009 Sam Kirk National Special Educator of the Year. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology and a Master’s degree in Special Education.
She was the LDA Chairperson for the Council of State Leaders for 2021 and as such served on the LDA America national Board of Directors. She was elected to serve another one-year term on the board for 2022. She is also the mother of an adult son with ADHD and LD.
Since moving to Delaware, Ms. Goldstein tutors and has launched an educational consulting business, G Whiz Educational Resources, to train and mentor other teachers. She is the author of Looking Glass Spelling, G. Whiz! I Finished My Homework, and Oops: Grammar in Context.
Maureen Keeney, Vice President
Maureen Keeney’s professional experiences spans over 30 years in teaching. Her
degrees include BA in Social Sciences, M.Ed in Elementary Ed, and M.Ed in Literacy. She holds education certifications in Elementary Education, Special Education, School
Leadership, and as a Reading Specialist. After retiring, Ms. Keeney earned her Special
Education Advocate Certificate from the Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA). Presently, Ms. Keeney is studying to earn a EdD in Special Education.
Ms. Keeney operated her own Preschool/Childcare program for 13 years, then
transitioned to the public schools and taught middle school reading and high school English and literacy. Ms. Keeney also taught reading and English at the college level. Her present positions include Special Ed Advocate, tutor, and classroom volunteer and active community volunteer.
Her professional memberships include DSEA Retired/President, NEA/ Delaware State
President/Resolutions Com., Network for Public Education /NPE, COPAA, and LDADE /Vice President. Ms. Keeney is also a member of the Special Education Strategic Plan Advisory Committee (SESPAC) in Delaware.
Veronica Figueroa, Treasurer
Veronica is a Delaware native living in Sussex County and has been active with LDADE since July 2020. She has worked in the medical field for over 20 years, predominantly in pediatric primary care. She has familiarity with organizations such as Nemours, Delaware Family Voices, and Head Start to name a few. As a medical assistant to lower Delaware physicians, she has navigated her way through the medical system to attain evaluations and therapies.
As a PTO president for her children’s school, she has helped advocate with fellow parents to get concerns addressed. With DFV, she worked with families to teach them how to get the help they seek for their children’s development and medical needs. She has attended multiple conferences and workshops for disabilities such as LIFE, UD Center for Disability lunchtime learning, and The Medical Home. She is also active with DMRC and DE BEST. She is the mother of four children, two of whom are diagnosed with ADHD, and one with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. She has maneuvered her way through the public school system attending IEPs and understanding 504B plans, transitioned to adult care for the disabled, attended Fair Hearings for Delaware, and had experience with private and state insurances. She also works as the bookkeeper for two family owned businesses.
Veronica has learned mostly through personal experience; however she is always willing to share her knowledge with others in hopes to make the challenges easier to face.
