La-Verna Fountain

La-Verna Fountain is the founder and president of Meaningful Communications Matter LLC, a consulting and training firm focusing on bridging the divide of misunderstandings in the home, community and workplace and developing intentional and healthy dialogue.  In 2018, she retired from Columbia University where she served as Vice President for Strategic Communications and Construction Business Initiatives.  Having developed and led a variety of award-winning programs to train, mentor and employ Minority, Women and Locally-owned businesses and a highly diverse workforce, as well as manage a range of community benefits as part of the University’s historic new campus development, she continues to serve as an Instructor with Columbia’s School of Professional Studies.    

A U.S. Army veteran, La-Verna has an associate’s degree in Police Administration from Harrisburg Area Community College, a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Penn State University and master of science degree in Negotiations and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University.  She and her husband of 39 years currently live in Pennsylvania and would be empty nesters except they have a large, spoiled German shepherd who is quite demanding.