BALTIMORE, January 14, 2019 – Kennedy Krieger Institute announces the appointment of Maureen van Stone, Esq., M.S., as the director of the Maryland Center of Developmental Disabilities (MCDD). She assumes this position after serving nearly 10 years as the associate director for MCDD. She will continue her role as the director of Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy and Law), a MCDD community-based program that is the state’s only medical-legal partnership.
“Maureen was the obvious choice for the role because of her credentials and many achievements,” said Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute. “She possesses the leadership skills to guide MCDD into its next stage, with a strong focus on advocacy and policy.”
A Baltimore native, van Stone earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Southern California. She returned to her hometown to work at Kennedy Krieger’s neurobehavioral inpatient unit. She subsequently earned a master’s degree in developmental psychology at The Johns Hopkins University. While working directly with families and patients with disabilities she recognized a critical need for advocacy and legal services. Van Stone pursued a law degree with a concentration in children’s legal issues and received her Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School.
Following law school, van Stone rejoined Kennedy Krieger Institute and founded Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law), a nonprofit legal services program that provides advocacy and legal services for low- and moderate-income families raising children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who receive clinical services at the Institute. Project HEAL attorneys help children with disabilities obtain appropriate special education and related services through local school systems, and advocate for Kennedy Krieger clinical recommendations to be implemented in the home, school, and community.
“As the director of MCDD, I am honored to continue my mission of leading advocacy and policy work on behalf of individuals with disabilities,” said van Stone. “I began my career with Kennedy Krieger Institute in 1996 knowing I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. I am looking forward to continuing our efforts to advance the inclusion of people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities across the state of Maryland.”
The MCDD at Kennedy Krieger Institute links the community to vital research and information to improve the lives of people with disabilities. MCDD partners with multiple state agencies that provide services aimed at improving healthcare, education, employment, housing and overall quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families. MCDD is part of a national network of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDDs) funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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About Kennedy Krieger Institute:
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, Kennedy Krieger Institute in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region serves 24,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services, and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental issues, from mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneering new interventions and methods of early diagnosis.
