Patricia DeOrio – Since founding Riverside School in 1974, Mrs. DeOrio has touched the lives of thousands of at-risk young people in central Virginia with learning disabilities. Educator, administrator and advocate for the learning disabled, Mrs. DeOrio has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to educational excellence and achievement for this underserved population in her 47 years in the education field. Mrs. DeOrio, who also has dyslexia, holds a Bachelor of Education from Ohio University, a Master in Education from the University of Arizona and was named an Honorary Fellow by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators in 2007. Recently named Director Emeritus, Mrs. DeOrio continues to be involved at Riverside guiding the School’s growth and objectives. Mrs. DeOrio has been an advisor to several private schools in Richmond as well as to a public school district. Honors for Mrs. DeOrio include being awarded the prestigious Rebecca Brock Richardson Award for life service in the field of dyslexia, named in Who’s Who in Education, receiving the Women’s Leadership Award from the Council of Exceptional Children, chosen as an International Reading Ambassador to the First Reading Conference of Independence States in Russia, recipient of “Hometown Hero” award at Elon College and recognized in 2006 as a History Maker by the Valentine Richmond History Center. A 2009 honoree of Virginia Lawyers Weekly‘s inaugural class of “Influential Women of Virginia,” a new awards program honoring individuals who are making notable contributions to their chosen professions, their communities and society at large.

Lisa Fagan – Lisa Fagan is the mother of three children with disabilities. Two of her children has learning disabilities and has been receiving special education services since they were two years old. Lisa works as an educational advocate in the Northern Virginia area and is currently one of the co-chairs of the Fairfax County Public Schools SEAC and she is a graduate of the Virginia Partners in Policymaking program. Although she does not practice in Virginia, Lisa is trained as an attorney and was a court appointed special advocate for abused children for five years.

Ina Ginsberg – Ina Ginsberg lives in Henrico County, VA. She has a M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati in Special Education, and a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Social Work. Ms. Ginsberg has an independent tutoring practice for children with learning disabilities. She also teach children how to read Hebrew and prepares them for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. She has been in private practice for almost 20 years. Ms. Ginsberg is married and has 2 grown sons, one daughter-in-law, and one granddaughter.

Jennifer S. Goudy – Jennifer S. Goudy is one of the founders of NOFAS-VA, and an adoptive parent of children with FASD. As a full-time mom, over the past thirteen years, Jennifer has gained a wealth of knowledge about FASD along with co-morbid disorders by involving herself with her children's intensive interventions and advocacy efforts. Common disorders we deal with on a day-to-day basis include Central Auditory Processing Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, learning disabilities, language and communication disorders, and developmental delays. In addition, she has been active with NOFAS, participating in support groups, lobbying Congress for FASD legislation, speaking before the Maryland FASD Task force, speaking before Congressional aides focusing on health issues. Because of her history with NOFAS along with common goals of education, support and prevention, we were a perfect fit as the NOFAS Virginia affiliate.

Chandra Keller-Allen – Chandra Keller-Allen is employed as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Dr. Keller-Allen has an undergraduate degree in special and elementary education from Syracuse University, a Masters of public policy from UCLA, and an education doctorate from George Washington University. She regularly writes policy analysis documents for the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. Dr. Keller-Allen served as a public school teacher for seven years in and resource settings. She also worked for the Administration for Children and Families and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Joyce Knight – Joyce B Knight is currently working for Virginia Commonwealth University as Coordinator for Disability Support Services. Ms. Knight received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Certificate in Legal Assisting. Ms. Knight worked at the Psychiatric Institute of Richmond as a Substance Abuse Counselor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College as Counselor/Coordinator for Disability Services, and Valencia Community College as Director of Disability Support Services. Joyce B. Knight is the Chairperson of the Education Committee for the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities and a member of the Association of Higher Education and Disabilities, both state and national chapters.

Gary Krapf, PhD – Dr. Krapf earned his PhD from Temple University in 1986. He holds a full membership status in the American Psychological Association. He has over 35 years of clinical experience working with children and adults. He is a certified School Psychologist, a Licensed Professional Counselor and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Dr. Krapf has been an adjunct faculty professor, authored two chapter publications and has presented at State and National Conferences. Dr. Krapf's training and experience includes extensive work with children, adolescents and adults in individual, family, and couples therapy. Dr. Krapf has worked with the Division of Rehabilitative Services, Business Employee Assistance Programs, Schools and Colleges in a variety of capacities. Since 2003 Dr. Krapf has been a member of the Virginia Higher Education Leadership Partners (VaHelp) a statewide group committed to formulating and documenting guidelines for students with disabilities enrolling in institutions of higher education. Dr. Krapf is currently working for The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia where he is director of a multi million dollar college access grant that assists students from low income families prepare for and enter college. He has been with the State Council since 2003.

Zachary Peyton – Zach Peyton is a self-taught, Freelance Website Developer who has considerable experience in the field. He's the grandson of Inge Horowitz, the former Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Council and can't wait to support the organization as it transitions into a new era. Classical Guitar, Chess, Ultimate Frisbee, Rock Band (Wii), the Rubix's cube, listening to good music, and finding good spicy food are a few of his hobbies. As the oldest of three brothers, he tries to set a good example: no speeding tickets, felonies, etc. If you need comic relief, he can usually provide a sufficient amount to get you through a typical humor drought. He's traveled a fair amount the world, including a couple countries in Asia, and needs to go back soon.

Caren E. Phipps, MS, CVE, LP – Caren Phipps is self-employed as a Counselor in the field of Career Development and as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist in Virginia and has always had an interest in advocating for resources for individuals with learning related issues. Through her involvement with the Board of the Learning Disabilities Council she hopes to continue to share her expertise in areas related to academic and career related assessment, interpretation, counseling, plan implementation, and support services to students, adults, and families from diverse backgrounds that have conditions that may make obtaining an education and transitioning into a satisfying career difficult.

Cheryl A. Poe – Poe received a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in Therapeutic Recreation from Virginia Wesleyan College and a Master of Arts degree (M.A) in Urban Education and Counseling from Norfolk State University. She has completed 15 post graduate hours in Advanced Counseling from Old Dominion University. Ms. Poe has also completed a two year program on group psychotherapy from the National Group Psychotherapy Institute hosted by the Washington School of Psychiatry. Mrs. Poe has served on the Virginia State NAACP Education committee and is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Group Psychotherapy society. Currently, Mrs. Poe is the Chair for the National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (NAEAACLD) Parent Network, and a member of The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates.
Organization:
Advocating 4 Kids provides Education Consultant & Special Education Advocacy services to families and their children with Special Education needs. Our goal is to help all students gain educational benefits and success. The maze of Special Education is confusing and frustrating. Parents are often ignored by school personnel and educational leaders. We help parents find their voice when working with their local public schools.
Website: http://www.advocate4kids.org/new/
Contact person: Judy Fischer 757-431-1251
Hampton Roads Special Education Parent Support Group: Our mission of Hampton Roads Special Education Parent Support Group continues to provide parents with information and support so they can effectively advocate for their children’s needs.
Website: http://www.hamptonroadspedpsg.com. This is a free support group for parents of special needs children
Contact person: Judy Fischer 757-431-1251

Sheila C. Price – Sheila C. Price is the coordinator of the Learning Disabilities Support Group for Adults which was founded by the Learning Disabilities Council more than 11 years ago. Originally a participant of the group, she has attempted to sustain it after the cessation of a paid professional facilitator's term. Ms. Price has been the contact person for more than 10 years to date in a voluntary capacity. The self-help group meets twice monthly at the Weinstein JCC to provide information, promote awareness and offer support to its participants affected by the challenges of learning disabilities/ADD. It is a safe place to embrace one's unique qualities. As well, she is the proud parent of an adult son also impacted by LD/ADD. She has been a staunch and effective advocate on his behalf throughout his lifetime. Ms. Price has been employed with the Virginia Retirement System as an Employer Reporting Technician since February 2000. Prior to this, she worked for Central Fidelity Bank/Wachovia in several branch/operations positions for approximately 22 years. This was before being severed from the company due to a merger between CFB and Wachovia in 1998. Ms. Price’s vocational experience has been that of finance, customer service, sales, research, account reconciliation and payroll processing. She currently has responsibility for researching and clearing exception/suspense items that reject during the normal process of payroll processing in the VRS systems as a result of edits previously established. In Ms. Price’s present position, her work supports and collaborates with the VRS (more than 1000) employers, the Accounting Department, Retiree Services, Product Administrators, Employer Representatives, Customer Contact Center, Records Maintenance, Product and Data Quality, etc. She has experienced a history of continuous learning opportunities to include business coursework through The American Institute of Banking; Productivity Point; J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; The Community College Workforce Alliance; Skillpath Seminars; The Association of Christian Counselors; Stratford Career Institute and her agency's own VRS University.

Thomas BC Rogers – Thomas BC Rogers is a native of Queens, New York. He graduated from Jamaica High School (Queens, NYC) and attended Virginia Union University and Kaplan University where he worked on a dual degree in a Bachelor of Science in Education, Business and Public Administration. Mr. Rogers currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where he is an administrator for the City of Richmond Public Schools while leading Project Community to the next level. Mr. Rogers is dedicated to his community as he is appointed by the City of Richmond - City Council to be a Board Member of the Richmond Community Action Program (RCAP), appointed by former Governor Mark Warner to be a Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Virginia - Governor's Commission on National and Community Service, President of the Ginter Park Terrace Civic Association, an active member of his local church End Time Harvest where he is the Secretary of the Music Ministry and Special Assistant to the Senior Pastor and Co-Pastor of Administration, and participates in a host of other civic, community organizations, and commissions’. Rogers has a mission in life to internationally decrease power and greed, and increase philanthropy and the quality of life for low-income and poverty stricken communities.

Elizabeth G. Sarrett, M.Ed., C.C.C. - SLP – Elizabeth G. Sarrett has earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Florida, including a minor in Audiology, and completed her Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. She has held licensure by the Departments of Education and the Boards of Health-Related Professions, first in Florida, and now she is licensed in Virginia. Elizabeth’s twenty five years of experience has crossed disciplines and age spans, direct service, administration, instruction, and program development. Previous positions held were in: the University of Florida College of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology; private practices; Chesterfield County Public Schools; The Autism Program of Virginia; and the Waverly Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Elizabeth’s particular areas of strength are: autism spectrum and related disorders; learning disabilities; early intervention; TBI and neurological disorders; cognitive disabilities; and the related communication and language impairments associated with these. She has provided training, continuing education and consultation extensively in Virginia, as well as in other states, much of this relevant to learning disabilities and the issues facing involved individuals, parents, educators, and even employers.

LDC – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Cheryl Chesney-Walker – Mrs. Chesney-Walker is currently the Executive Director of Health Careers/Education and Special Services for Students at VCU Medical Center. Mrs. Chesney-Walker has been working in the field of Higher Education Administration for the last 10 years. Her professional experiences included developing and maintaining premier programs at the postsecondary level of education for disabled and disadvantaged students. Prior to working in postsecondary education, Mrs. Chesney-Walker was an Educational Specialist at the Medical College of Ohio in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics for 3 years. At the same time she simultaneously worked in Pediatric Rehabilitation. Her experiences working in the hospital setting provided training and understanding of health service provider roles and responsibility within the community and hospital setting, a holistic approach to patient care as a team evaluation member and the health sciences curricula. At the very beginning of her professional career she was a special education and regular education teacher for 13 years. She is the parent of a child with a Learning Disability.