Each candidate’s personal guiding principle statement is presented after their name, center, affiliation, if any, and geographic location. Below this information, you will find the area for you to select either “Yes” or “No” for each candidate. “Yes” indicates your agreement that this person will best serve the interests of our NAFCM family. “No” indicates that at this time you are unsure that this person will best serve the interests of the NAFCM family. The choice not to make a selection will be considered a “No” preference.

Each individual selected will be seated on the NAFCM Board of Directors starting September 27, 2026.

Thank you for letting us know whom you want to represent your voice on the NAFCM Board of Directors.

Please do not delay and cast your votes now! To access the ballot, please click here. You will need to be signed in to your NAFCM account to access this page. Voting ends at 11:59 PM PT on July 3, 2026.

CCR is a community mediation center in Chicago, and the MMP is the program CCR uses to recruit, match, mentor, and retain volunteer mediators. Like many community mediation centers, CCR had struggled to build a volunteer mediator base that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. Building on findings from an Equity Audit completed in 2023, CCR’s project made substantial changes to volunteer recruitment and matching.

Presenters will discuss audit findings and how the project was responsive to addressing them, as well as successes, challenges, lessons learned and how the process is reflective of NAFCM Hallmarks 1 & 2. RSI conducted a project evaluation and prepared a resource guide for other centers, and will share key insights. 

REGISTER NOW!

A research review of small claims mediation shows some interesting facts. Participants whose cases are mediated are more likely to report satisfaction with the process than those who went through a traditional judicial process. Mediation participants reported that they felt their underlying issue were adequately addressed, the conflict was adequately resolved and there was a positive change in their perception of the other party’s perspective. Additionally, compliance with mediated settlements is significantly higher than adjudicated cases. Mediated cases showed a 70.6% compliance rate while court cases were 33.4%. Interestingly, cases that were mediated but did not settle at mediation and were adjudicated after the mediation showed a compliance rate of 52.8%. The data shift shows a difference in the participants’ feelings and follow through once they have had the opportunity to meet with their opponent in a supportive, collaborative environment. The long-term ripples in participants’ lives may be even farther reaching as they have had the opportunity to see how collaborative cooperation builds bridges in relationships.  

To learn more visit YOUR Virtual Library and check these out:

• McEwan, A.C., and Maiman, J. R. “Small Claims Mediation in Maine: An Empirical Assessment.” Maine Law Review, 1981, 33, 237-268.

• Wissler, L. R. “The Effectiveness of Court-Connected Dispute Resolution in Civil Cases.” Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 2004, 22 (1-2), 55-87.

• Charkoudian, Lorig. Impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution on Responsibility, Empowerment, Resolution, and Satisfaction with the Judiciary: Comparison of Self-Reported Outcomes on District Court Civil Cases. Report for the Maryland Administrative Office of the Court, April 2014.

• Charkoudian, Lorig. “Impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution on Responsibility, Empowerment, Resolution, and Satisfaction with the Judiciary: Comparison of Outcomes in District Court Civil Cases.” Report for the Maryland Administrative Office of the Court, October, 2015.

Alma Robinson, the long-time executive director of NAFCM member organization California Lawyers for the Arts, has been awarded the 2026 Ebony McKinney Arts Leadership Award.

The Ebony McKinney Arts Leadership Award is a $20,000 award honoring arts and culture leaders in San Francisco who embody Ebony’s vision for equity and the power of the arts. It was started by the people who knew and loved Ebony, including Emerging Arts Professionals, one of the organizations she co-founded to support arts and culture workers and organizations. The award was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Alma shares important connections to Ebony's own work, including promoting emerging arts professionals, advocating for arts and culture, and working as a Black woman committed to her community.

Alma has served historically Black San Francisco neighborhoods and organizations — the Bayview, where she lives, and its Bayview Opera House (increasing civic engagement and voter registration), the Bayview Alliance (promoting dialogues about community and city issues including the arts), and Western Addition's African American Arts and Culture Complex (providing professional development in mediation, negotiation, and facilitation).

"Alma Robinson creates opportunities for artists, arts organizations, and arts educators that solve systemic problems through inter-sector, cross-cultural, and inter-agency collaboration grounded in principled negotiation, inclusion, and facilitation." - Devorah Major, nominator and 3rd Poet Laureate of San Francisco.

Among Alma’s most important contributions are programs that provide paid internships and professional development for youth and adults pursuing careers in the arts and culture. Her Designing Creative Futures program created paid internships for formerly incarcerated people. The Arts in Corrections Initiative demonstrates the transformative power of art in prisons and jails. Through this work, she has nurtured what colleagues call "inspired art producers" and "stalwart community citizens who can work in a myriad of art support services."

NAFCM has launched the NAFCM Reading Room, a growing collection of books selected to support local community mediation centers. The goal is simple: strengthen practice, training, and leadership by making high-quality field resources easy to find and share. The reading room is open to receive recommendations from NAFCM members.  You can submit your recommendation via the NAFCM Reading Room Recommendations. 

Each month, one book will be selected to spotlight as the "Book of the Month" - the current book of the month is Kenneth Cloke, The Magic of Mediation

The Magic of Mediation is the featured title, explores mediation as more than a process; it is a pathway for understanding, connection, and lasting change.

Help Build the Reading Room

Add the featured book to your center or personal library

Suggest books that support community mediation values and skills

Share the Reading Room with your staff, volunteers, and members

Explore the Reading Room, share a recommendation, and help NAFCM grow a resource hub that serves centers nationwide.

Let us take a moment to introduce the 2025 designee. 

Dr. Burrell served on the NAFCM Board of Directors for six years. As a board member, she helped establish the Trust Network, a group of American organizations that came together in October 2020 to prevent election-related violence and now supports community-led processes to address social cohesion and justice across the country.  In 2022, after NAFCM heard concerns from community mediation centers, she helped NAFCM and Livingroom Conversations co-create the school-community toolbox–a set of tools, trainings, and processes to enable schools and their communities to develop relationships of trust and transparency rather than suspicion and anger. In 2024, she led the NAFCM board in supporting centers helping communities navigate conflict and uncertainty before, during, and after the 2024 national elections. Also while on the board, Dr. Burrell led development of NAFCM's now annual Momentum May celebration of community mediation centers as well as the establishment of NAFCM’s endowment fund to improve the sustainability of NAFCM’s support for community mediation.

Before her service on the NAFCM Board, Dr. Burrell spent 25 years working in conflict zones, supporting people rebuilding together after wars. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, she helped create parent-teacher associations as a way to link parents from different ethnicities in the shared work of improving their children’s education. In Lebanon, she led a program to support local communities themselves, rather than elite political leaders, identify and implement local infrastructure projects.

Dr. Burrell holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a master's degree in Democratic Governance. She teaches at George Mason University, Carter School, focusing on helping students recognize that at the heart of any conflict is a struggle over power, driven by the values each holds as vital. Her writing as a syndicated PeaceVoice columnist has appeared in local newspapers across 35 states, amplifying public knowledge of how and why to engage constructively with our communities.

Across roles and regions, her record demonstrates a sustained partnership with others to co-create more just, engaged, and peaceful communities. Her impact advances NAFCM’s twin beliefs: regenerative responses emerge when those in conflict mobilize, and our shared network multiplies results. In the U.S., she translates research on cross-divide dialogue and the neuroscience of conflict into trainings that help teams interrupt escalation, normalize listening, and co-design solutions. She strengthens the field as a NAFCM board member, spearheading fundraising initiatives and supporting the convening of local centers to share tools and mutual aid in what is now the annual Momentum May. Impact stories abound because of the presence of Dr. Burrell.

Let us take a moment to introduce the 2025 designee. Theresa Hobbs collaborates with community mediation centers throughout New York as the Executive Director of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA). In this role, she brings a unique blend of business acumen and legal expertise, which has served the community mediation centers well as NYSDRA has undergone a remarkable transformation, becoming a stronger, more responsive advocate for Community Dispute Resolution Centers (CDRCs) across New York State.

Theresa’s approach is deeply collaborative. She actively seeks input from Centers, integrating their feedback into program development and statewide initiatives to ensure that NYSDRA’s efforts reflect their shared goals and evolving needs. Her leadership has resulted in several meaningful advancements.

One of the most impactful achievements has been the expansion and alignment of the NYSDRA’s AmeriCorps Program with the existing service model and work of the CDRC network, which allows volunteer mediators to receive stipends for their service—enhancing sustainability, equity, and volunteer engagement statewide. Rather than creating a new program in isolation, this work strengthened and scaled an existing model to better support centers and volunteers.

She also played a pivotal role in the modernization of Special Education Mediation, designing and authoring the program framework that led to the launch of a unified, statewide model. Working successfully with key state stakeholders to negotiate the consolidation of two previously separate state contracts into a single, unified program and securing the statewide contract through a competitive procurement process. This significant achievement led to the launch of the Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC), which now serves as a model for other state-administered dispute resolution programs. This initiative reimagined processes, improved quality assurance, and expanded training opportunities, leading to measurable improvements in service delivery for families and schools.

Theresa also spearheaded a partnership with the New York State Attorney General’s Office to better support Lemon Law Arbitration, enabling volunteers to receive stipends for their service and formally recognizing the essential contributions of neutrals. In addition, through her strategic foresight, NYSDRA launched a statewide digital marketing initiative to increase public awareness, boost referrals, and strengthen the visibility of CDRCs within their communities.

Through each of these initiatives, she has demonstrated visionary leadership, strategic collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to strengthening the CDRC network and advancing access to justice across New York State.

Theresa recently organized NYSDRA’s 40th Annual Conference, bringing together key stakeholders from across New York State for meaningful learning, collaboration, and inspiration. The event served as both a celebration of the community mediation movement-featuring dynamic presentations, critical discussions, and moments of deep reflection-and a forward-looking convening focused on the future of dispute resolution. A highlight of the conference was honoring the legacy of Judge Lawrence Cooke, the visionary who helped establish community mediation in New York. Members of Judge Cooke’s family, including his son, participated and offered a moving tribute. In his honor, NYSDRA launched the Judge Lawrence Cooke Legacy Endowment Fund, helping ensure that the mission of community mediation will continue to thrive for generations to come.

When Theresa first joined NYSDRA, the organization faced significant financial challenges, including outstanding obligations to member centers. Through focused fiscal stewardship, transparency, and accountability, she transformed and strengthened NYSDRA’s financial position-restoring stability, trust, and confidence across the statewide network.

Her leadership has truly revitalized the organization and set a new standard of excellence.  Theresa’s inclusive vision continues to reinforce a shared identity among CDRCs-not as isolated centers, but as part of a connected, collaborative ecosystem within the broader NAFCM family—building a regenerative ecosystem of justice, compassion, and community healing across New York State.

The Process is a six-month learning journey focused on connection, reflection, and community engagement. This next cohort launches in January 2026 and includes monthly virtual group sessions (3:00–4:30 PM ET) and one one-hour community session in between each group session. The lead for your community attends the group session.

Established Centers have seen these benefits from participating:

• Benefits from mentorship, resource sharing, and dedicated time together helped to align their work with the 9 Hallmarks and 1964 Civil Rights Act.
•  Feeling less isolated by building meaningful connections and support networks with peers across the country.

Previous participants also appreciated the gift of pausing and being intentional about anchoring into their community to determine their next steps. This process may be especially beneficial if your center has experienced recent changes in staffing or board leadership.

Key dates:

• Application due: Tuesday, January 20, 2025 (by 11:59 p.m. local time)
• Applicants’ Open House: Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 5:00–6:30 P.M. E.T.
• Cohort meetings: Feb 3, Mar 3, Apr 7, May 5, Jun 2 and July 7 (all 3:00–4:30 PM ET) 

How to apply

• Please write to us at dgmawn@nafcm.org if interested and the zoom registration link will be sent for the Wednesday Open House as well as the application
• If helpful, please email jcardenas@nafcm.org or mortega@nafcm.org to schedule a 15-minute conversation to discuss program fit and next steps.

We have seen this process greatly benefit established centers as well as new groups wishing to expand their ability to create opportunities for justice, peace and belonging their communities.

The white paper by Courtney Chicvak presents a case study of the Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers (LIDRC). It argues that its community mediation services function as a form of domestic cultural diplomacy. LIDRC uses trained volunteer mediators to model and promote cultural values such as peacebuilding, civic engagement, collaboration, inclusivity, volunteerism, and access to justice. These mediators act as “citizen diplomats,” demonstrating soft-power approaches to conflict by fostering dialogue and cooperative problem-solving.

LIDRC advances cultural diplomacy through its no-cost mediation programs, which reduce barriers to justice, ease court burdens, and empowers community members to resolve conflict collaboratively. The organization serves diverse audiences, including the court system, community members needing accessible conflict resolution, and volunteers who gain peacebuilding skills.

The conclusion asserts that community mediation is a meaningful, local expression of cultural diplomacy with measurable social benefits. Expanding such programs could help reduce polarization, strengthen civic trust, and enhance access to justice across communities.

You can read the full paper here

Looking for holiday gifts? How about gifts that not only will bring joy to your loved one, but support an organization important to us all? Check out NAFCM’s online auction! Items range from handmade items to learning opportunities!  Through our holiday online auction and donations, our goal is to raise $4,000 to continue NAFCM’s great support for its 350+ community dispute resolution center members.

Bidding runs from November 17^th – December 12^th.

Go here to visit the online auction and register to bid.

Please help share information about the auction to your network and encourage them to make some bids, donate to NAFCM or even give the gift of a NAFCM membership. 

Partner of the Year: National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM)

D.G. Mawn pictured on screen.

This award is presented to DG Mawn, the visionary President of National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) who has led the organization through an extraordinary transition over the last ten years. DG’s commitment to integrity, partnership and dignity has resulted in a robust network of organizations that are all deeply embedded and engaged in communities across the country.

NAFCM’s vision is that community mediation leads to community mobilization (both individually and collectively). It supports the maintenance and growth of community-based mediation programs and processes, to present a compelling voice in appropriate policy making, legislative, professional, and other arenas, and to encourage the development and sharing of resources for these efforts. NAFCM supports peacemakers by being the hub for advancing the work of community mediation, aggregating the wisdom of community mediation and amplifying the voice of community mediators. NAFCM’s purpose, as a membership association of peacemakers who employ the practices and values of community mediation, is to help these peacemakers to create brave spaces for the transformation of conflict to opportunities for engagement, resolution and partnership through the work and will of the participants and those impacted.

MBBI is proud to collaborate with NAFCM as a co-convener of the TRUST Network: a civic architecture and infrastructure that braids social justice, democracy, and legal and peace-building communities The TRUST Network is a broad U.S. network designed to prevent violent conflict, reduce division, build community cohesion, strengthen our democracy, and address legacies of injustice.

Mission:  This  JAMS  Foundation - ACR  Initiative  seeks  to  provide  financial  support  for conflict resolution education and training (CRE) for Pre-K through 12th grade students and youth. The populations to be served by the funding streams will be both (1) youth in Pre-K through 12th grade age range and (2) adults working with these youth populations in ways that directly transfer CRE skills for adults to the youth populations.

 
Funding Contexts: The contexts for projects may include community, schools, alternative education (online education, charter schools, after school programs), government (juvenile justice facilities, courts) and NGO settings. While some proposals may be able to secure and guarantee access to or cooperation from traditional K-12 school districts/schools, this funding opportunity is intended to provide potential financial support for CRE work in other contexts as well.  

2026 Funding Focus

The 2026 funding focus supports the work at the intersection of culture and conflict. This funding track will implement and evaluate the effectiveness of conflict resolution skills in navigating multicultural environments among middle school youth, grades 5-9 or a subset thereof. Culture is defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization. The intent is to foster changes in school or school district policy by employing conflict resolution approaches to improve students' peaceful interactions with their peers (primary), school personnel (secondary), and in their home environment (tertiary). 

The three proposal priorities include:

1. Increase the use of CRE approaches to improve students' communication across cultures, increase their understanding and appreciation of different cultures, and decrease incidents of fighting and bullying.
2. Increase the use of non-violent communication by middle school youth that measurably increases bonding and belonging across different cultures represented by other students, faculty, and others associated with the school.
3. Substantial adoption of the use of CRE approaches as system-wide practice, either through formal policy or other means, that increases the use of these approaches by both students and school personnel.

📄The full NOFA is available at https://acrnet.org/resource/resmgr/jams-acr_grant/2026_jams/2026_JAMS-ACR_NOFA.pdf. 

📣Informational Meeting: Monday, December 1, 2025; 3:30 PM EST -- Registration required!

📆Application Deadline: January 9, 2026

The deadline to nominate is November 1, 2025 at 12 PM Pacific Time.

This award recognizes individuals within an organization making positive differences in the areas of peace co-creating, justice and community mobilization in ways which support individuals, communities and systems in responding to conflict that sparks hope, curiosity, renewed wholeness, and creative potential. They fully work for the betterment of the community, embracing personal sacrifice that the work often requires. 

To nominate an individual for either the local or national award, go here.

Thank you to those who pulled together analyzed the data and complied this report, NAFCM members; Dr. Mindy Burrrell, Dr. Ashleigh Grindon, and Ms. Audrey Chow.

Our plan is to send the Pulse survey six times a year. We intend to keep the survey brief so no more than 10-15 minutes will be needed to respond. The hope is to continue to learn what you and the communities you serve are experiencing, so that we may continue to focus our support with your efforts to increase justice, peace and belonging in a manner that is the best use of our limited resources.

2026 Funding Focus

The 2026 funding focus supports the work at the intersection of culture and conflict. This funding track will implement and evaluate the effectiveness of conflict resolution skills in navigating multicultural environments among middle school youth, grades 5-9 or a subset thereof. Culture is defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization. The intent is to foster changes in school or school district policy by employing conflict resolution approaches to improve students' peaceful interactions with their peers (primary), school personnel (secondary), and in their home environment (tertiary). 

The three proposal priorities include:

1. Increase the use of CRE approaches to improve students' communication across cultures, increase their understanding and appreciation of different cultures, and decrease incidents of fighting and bullying.
2. Increase the use of non-violent communication by middle school youth that measurably increases bonding and belonging across different cultures represented by other students, faculty, and others associated with the school.
3. Substantial adoption of the use of CRE approaches as system-wide practice, either through formal policy or other means, that increases the use of these approaches by both students and school personnel.

📄The full NOFA is available at https://acrnet.org/resource/resmgr/jams-acr_grant/2026_jams/2026_JAMS-ACR_NOFA.pdf. 

📣Informational Meeting: Monday, December 1, 2025; 3:30 PM EST -- Registration required!

📆Application Deadline: January 9, 2026

We find ourselves in interesting times. In our first Pulse Survey of membership, we heard that 78% report clear escalation in identity based harm and community division and 59% experience misinformation/disinformation creating fear and division. Please read more here.

First, thank you to those who did respond. We, NAFCM, will be hosting an open forum on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on facilitating both community division and misinformation on Tuesday October 28 at 7 PM ET. If you want to join the conversation, register here https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/RrKeND9qRdu8SXSWU0Sd0A 

And Second, thank you to those who pulled together, analyzed the data and complied this report, NAFCM members; Dr. Mindy Burrrell, Dr. Ashleigh Grindon, Ms. Audrey Chow and Ms. Lori Dieckman.

Our plan is to send the Pulse survey six times a year. We intend to keep the survey brief so no more than 10-15 minutes will be needed to respond. The hope is to continue to learn what you and the communities you serve are experiencing, so that we may continue to focus our support with your efforts to increase justice, peace and engagement in a manner that is the best use of our limited resources.

Keeping moving forward!

The NAFCM Team

With a focus on mediator and mindset coach training, the Alignment Code program is designed for individuals committed to learning conflict resolution and “practicing until mastery.” As an instructor and mediation skills assessor, Erika often observes learners facing fears of not meeting expectations, information overload, falling behind, or struggling with exams. She emphasized that even seasoned practitioners may grapple with imposter syndrome, lack of flow, or self-doubt in real-life mediations and coaching sessions.

Interested participants, see below for instructions:

Hello, NAFCM Conflict Resolution Practitioners,

Who will be the first to 50 registrations?

YOU’RE INVITED

THE ALIGNMENT CODE –

Self-Reflection for Mediators: “Know Thyself”

28 Days to Align Your Life — Make Action Effortless

What if moving toward your goals felt as natural as breathing?
The Alignment Code is not about pushing harder — it’s about rewiring your brain so action happens automatically.

How it works:

• Small Wins → Big Motivation: Each win triggers a dopamine boost, making you want to keep going.
• Better Than Expected: Surprising results lock into your brain as “must do again.”
• Easy Restarts: Life interrupts? You can pick up where you left off without dread.
• Habits for Life: Patterns that stick long after the 28 days.

No overthinking. No starting and stopping. Just tiny daily steps that build unstoppable momentum.

WHO IT’S FOR
You want to:

• Take daily consistent action
• Grow your business or income
• Launch and finish a project
• Change your life direction
• Learn a skill until mastery
• Boost productivity without burnout

If you’ve ever started strong but lost steam — this breaks that cycle.

YOU GET

• Easy daily brain-rewiring steps
• Tools you’ll use forever
• Support from a motivated community
• Results you can see and feel

Starts: 1st September 2025
Format: 100% Online
Your Investment: FREE

IMPORTANT:
You’ll need a UNIQUE CODE to join: ZF3741
Have your CODE ready for Day 1.

Only 1,000 spots worldwide — first in, first served.

HOW TO JOIN:

1. Go to alignmentcode.org
2. Join the group

Sponsored by the Neuro Change Institute®

Thank you, Kabrina Bass!

Kabrina Bass will be departing the NAFCM Board in September, having served with the NAFCM Board since 2019. While on the Board Kabrina has served as the Board Chair and has participated in and chaired NAFCM Committees including Strategic Partnership & Resource Committee and the Impact & Values Committee.

 Read below for Kabrina’s reflections on serving on the NAFCM Board and what community mediation means to her.

We are grateful for Kabrina’s dedication to her work and support of NAFCM!

What did you enjoy most about being part of the NAFCM Board?

NAFCM changed my life. In 2018, my mom died, and I was in the midst of a life transition. I had been my mom’s full-time caregiver, and for the last 20 years, she and I had done life together. Now, my entire life had shifted. I applied for an Executive Director job with a local “mediation center.” In preparation for the interview, I researched the community mediation center and discovered NAFCM. I read and studied the nine hallmarks, which spelled out “coalition”. I was sold. It was where I wanted to be and where I could grow. I got the job, and here is where my journey, the first alone, would begin. 

I joined the NAFCM Board the following year. I wanted the center to be the model of community mediation. NAFCM shaped me as a practitioner of conflict transformation. 

 The NAFCM Board is family, and the organization is the extension of that family. What I've enjoyed most about being on the board is learning from others and exploring who I am as a leader and what it means to be in the community. 

Tell about a project or accomplishment that you participated in.

There are three projects I loved most:

The social media toolkit for Community Mediation Centers, the legislative toolkit, and the webinar produced on funding streams for community mediation. These three projects helped to aggregate the wisdom, advance the work, and amplify the voice of community mediation. The NAFCM Board helped me to gear all my work to align with the mission intentionally. If the projects or the accomplishments aren't pointing to or delivering the mission, why are we investing the resources? 

What inspires you about NAFCM or community mediation?

What inspires me about NAFCM, the embodiment of Community Mediation, is the diversity of identity. So many try to put the work in a box, but it will never fit. Community mediation is not the big M of mediation, a formal process; it is the small m of mediate. Webster identifies mediate as a verb and an adjective. As a adjective, mediate is “occupying a middle position”, “exhibiting indirect causation, connection, or relation” and as a transitive verb “to bring accord out of by action as an intermediary” and as an intransitive verb “to interpose between parties to reconcile” Understanding the small m created diversity in the work of community mediation as it becomes and is becoming those mechanisms the helps others co-create their solutions, their responses and their actions to their conflicts, disputes or disagreement. Those responses, actions, and solutions are self-determined and manifest through diversity of mediation, facilitated dialogue, the arts, restorative practices, circles, training, and so many others, birthing an often trauma-informed process or deliverable. It, community mediation, is intentional. 

Join us in expressing gratitude to Mindy Burrell as she departs the NAFCM Board in September.  Mindy has served two terms on the NAFCM Board of Directors, most recently as Board Co-Chair.  Read more below for Mindy’s own words about her experience with NAFCM.  Thank you, Mindy, for sharing your talents and for your commitment to NAFCM!

Finding NAFCM was finding a family. I had been doing international peacebuilding work and decided to return to the U.S. in 2018. As soon as I met D.G., I knew I had found my U.S. mentor. As soon as I started I talking with center volunteers and leaders, I knew I had found my people. Because I spent years working in conflict zones, I worry about the state our country is in. And I rejoice in the fact that NAFCM is a continent-wide bulwark against the division, fear, and injustice. It's been a joy and a privilege to serve on NAFCM's board and be part of this compassionate, creative, determined family serving communities in challenging times. 

By Mary Ann Schleer, Impact & Values Committee

Social justice is generally defined by five core principles of access, diversity, equity, participation and human rights. These topics echo the core hallmarks of mediation practice. The Virtual Library has a summary of a book by Paul Wahrhaftig entitled Community Dispute Resolution, Empowerment and Social Justice: The Origins, History and Future of a Movement. A reading of this summary provides valuable insight into the reasons why social justice is a key guiding principle for community mediation centers. Community dispute centers arose out of the civil rights movement of the 1970’s and social awareness and protest of the Vietnam war. The focus on peace on all levels recognized that social programs impact more than just the people immediately involved in a conflict. Direct services provided by mediation centers not only resolve interpersonal conflicts, but they also empower individuals in the community to bring peace and resolution to their neighborhoods, cities and beyond. Social justice fits into this scenario in that the structures of the mediation programs, the reflection of the diversity of the local community and interactions with other systems in the community all matter to the commitment of that center to meet people in their own communities, in ways that are meaningful to them, using culturally appropriate resolution methods.

The author categorizes three ownership structures: A court model, an agency model and a community model. Most dispute resolution programs follow the community model with some overlap with courts and agencies as needed in each individual community. To truly form centers dedicated to social justice for all clients, centers must fully engage with the members of the local community to honor their cultural background and existing dispute resolution patterns while assisting various participants in navigating social and governmental systems that may operate in ways foreign to their culture or strongly formed from biased or discriminatory historical context.

Take aways from this summary include diving deep into how inclusive our centers are in leadership, board member governance, and diversity in our mediator pool. We can increase the effectiveness of our centers when we truly reflect the wonderful diversity of our communities.

Find the resource here under Programming, CMCs and Social Justice, when logged in as a member.

Read the story here.  

Dear NAFCM Family Members,

The slate of candidates presented to the NAFCM family membership to join NAFCM’s Board of Directors for the 2025-2028 term has been finalized and is ready for your discernment.   There are six candidates standing for consideration.   NAFCM will add each of the candidates, you, the membership, concur should be on the board. 

This is your time to meet these candidates and consider who will represent your voice and be the stewards of NAFCM needs for the next three years.

A brief description  offered by each candidate as to their why, along with their location are presented.  Below this information you will find the area for you to select either “Yes” or “No” for each particular candidate. “Yes” indicates your agreement that this person will best serve the interests of our NAFCM family. “No” indicates that at this time you are unsure that this person will best serve the interests of the NAFCM family.  The choice not to make a selection will be considered a "No" preference.   

Each individual selected will be seated on the NAFCM Board of Directors starting September 13, 2025. 

Thank you for letting us know whom you want to represent your voice on the NAFCM Board of Directors.

Please do not delay and cast your votes now! To access the ballot, please click here.  You will need to be signed in to your NAFCM account to access this page.  Voting ends at 11:59 PM PT on Monday, June 9, 2025.

Warm regards,

D.G.