CONFERENCE BIOGRAPHIES

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Lucas Johnson

Lucas Johnson has deep, global experience in conflict resolution and community organizing. He has been shaped by his time learning from veterans of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., most closely Vincent Harding and Dorothy Cotton, and by his work with human rights activists around the world, especially in Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

Lucas was a leader in the U.S. community of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), the world’s oldest interfaith peace organization, for 6 years, based in Atlanta and focused on the Southeast and mid-Atlantic.

From 2014 until he joined the On Being Project in December, 2018, he served as General Secretary of IFOR’s global operation. Among the work he will draw on and extend as part of CCP, he incubated a Beloved Communities Project in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium; and helped to create an Ethics of Reciprocity initiative with the United Nations.

Lucas studied at Mercer University and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He was born in Germany in a military family, grew up in Georgia (U.S.), and now resides between Amsterdam and the United States.

HONOREES

 

Ariel Belen

 

Hon. Ariel E. Belen (Ret.), FCIArb joined JAMS in 2012 and serves as an arbitrator and mediator in complex domestic and international disputes spanning a wide array of practice areas. During his nearly eighteen-year tenure on the bench he served as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department and as Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Brooklyn). Judge Belen also helped create and presided over the Commercial Division in Brooklyn. Judge Belen has earned a reputation as a calm, intelligent, fair, and hardworking professional while facing the many complicated issues that may arise in a dispute.

Judge Belen is a highly experienced international mediator and arbitrator. He can effectively communicate with Spanish speaking litigants and clients. Judge Belen is a popular international speaker and trainer for ADR. He has presented at ADR training programs for judges, attorneys, and business leaders in Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Judge Belen is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of the Advisory Council of the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, and a member of the International Mediation Institute. Judge Belen is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Judge Belen is often retained as a special master in complex commercial and civil matters. He was appointed as the Federal Facilitator to guide the Joint Remedial Process in the New York City stop and frisk and trespass enforcement class action settlements as described in the Remedies Opinion in Floyd v. City of New York, 959 F. Supp. 2d 668 (SDNY 2013). In this program, Judge Belen was charged with assisting the City of New York and its residents with developing sustainable reforms to the stop and frisk and trespass enforcement practices of the New York City Police Department through a community based civic engagement process. Judge Belen filed his Final Report and Recommendations with the Southern District of New York in May 2018. The Final Report and Recommendations may be accessed here. 

Judge Belen co-authored New York Trial Notebook, (James Publishing, 2008), supplemented annually, an 850-page comprehensive practice treatise for the trial of a civil case in New York.

Kay Pranis

Kay Pranis teaches and writes about the dialog process known as "peacemaking circles". Kay learned about peacemaking circles in her work in restorative justice in the mid-90s. From 1994 – 2003 Kay held the position of Restorative Justice Planner at the MN Dept of Corrections, the first government position in the US related directly to the framework of restorative justice. 

Her initial teachers in the circle work were Barry Stuart, a judge in Yukon, Canada, and Mark Wedge and Harold Gatensby, First Nations people of Yukon. Since that initial exposure to the use of peacemaking circles in the justice system.

Kay has been involved in developing the use of peacemaking circles in schools, social services, churches, families, museums, universities, municipal planning and workplaces. Kay has authored or co-authored several books about circles: Peacemaking Circles - From Conflict to Community; The Little Book of Circle Processes – A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking; Doing Democracy with Circles – Engaging Communities in Public Planning; Heart of Hope – A Guide for Using Peacemaking Circles to Develop Emotional Literacy, Promote Healing & Build Healthy Relationships; Circle Forward – Building a Restorative School Community.

Kay works primarily as a trainer in the peacemaking circle process. She is also an adjunct professor at Eastern Mennonite University. 

Kay has a particular interest in the use of circles to support social justice efforts addressing racial, economic, class and gender inequities. That interest includes the use of peacemaking circles to understand and respond to historical harms to groups of people. The peacemaking circle process has been a source of energy, inspiration and continuous learning for Kay for the past 20 years.

PRESENTERS

Anthony Cannataro is the Citywide Administrative Judge for the Civil Court of the City of New York and is a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court.

Justice Cannataro’s first judicial assignment after being elected to the Civil Court in 2011 was as an Acting Judge of the Family Court in Kings County, where he sat from 2012 through 2013, working on child custody and visitation cases. He then sat as a judge in the Bronx County Civil Court from 2014 through 2015. In 2016, he was appointed Supervising Judge of the Civil Court

for New York County. Justice Cannataro was elected to the Supreme Court in New York County in 2017 and, shortly thereafter, was appointed Administrative Judge for the Civil Court of the City of New York.

Justice Cannataro serves as Co-Chair of the High-Volume Courts Subcommittee of the Chief Judge’s ADR Advisory Committee, a Commissioner on the Richard C. Failla LGBT Commission of the New York State Courts, and a member of the Plain Language Committee of the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice. He previously served as the Co-Chair of the LGBT Committee of the NYC Family Court Administrative Judge’s Advisory Council. Justice Cannataro also serves on committees in several bar associations, including the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, the New York Women’s Bar Association (past) and the New York City Bar Association (past).

Born to parents who emigrated from Italy, Justice Cannataro received his B.A. from Columbia

University (1993) and his J.D. from New York Law School (1996). 

Elizabeth Clemants is the founder, president and principal trainer at Planning Change, whose mission it is educate and empower individuals to affect meaningful change in the conflicts around them. She attended Columbia University School of Social Work where she graduated with an MSW and a Minor in Law.  She immediately went to work in the field of conflict resolution and has been practicing ADR since 1997. In 2015, Elizabeth started Hidden Water, a non-profit organization that uses a circle process in a restorative justice model to help individuals and families heal from the devastating impact of child sexual abuse. She is the board president and an active circle keeper for Hidden Water. In addition to the programs, Elizabeth works as a mediator, a coach, a shaman and speaks regularly at events and conferences.  

Noelle Alice Demole is a 26 year-old Swiss-born recent graduate from Columbia University with a Master's degree in Negotiation & Conflict Resolution at the School of Professional Studies. Demole holds a Bachelor degree in International Relations from EU Business School in Switzerland with a focus on the issue of human trafficking and the global sex trade through the writing of her thesis. Prior to attending Columbia, Demole was certified compliance officer as her past professional background was in the financial services industry with a focus in compliance management as she used to work for the anti-money laundering and KYC team for a Swiss private bank. Having a profound motivation for the understanding and solving of injustice and organized crime in the world, Demole has recently founded her own humanitarian association called Shere Khan’s Youth Protection helping the youth generation in the south of India to study in order to become financially independent in the future. In her free time Demole practices boxing, krav maga, ballet and is also a certified scuba and free diver as she enjoys diving around the world to explore wild marine animals. Demole is currently living between New-York City and Geneva, Switzerland.

Matthew E. Draper FCIArb is an experienced litigator and international arbitration counsel and arbitrator. He is recognized as a "Future Leader" in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2018, which reports that clients describe him as "anexceptionally gifted attorney ... a creative thinker,"  and "is very good on his feet.'"  Super Lawyers 2018 cites Matthew as a "Top Rated Alternative Dispute Resolution Attorney" in New York.

Matthew's commercial disputes practice focuses on oil, gas and water-related disputes. Matthew regularly represents clients in transboundary water disputes. He has represented U.S. and foreign clients in courts and international arbitrations across various industries, including telecommunications, construction and transportation. Matthew also has significant experience representing financial services firms before industry arbitration panels and regulators.

Matthew is a graduate of Princeton University (magna cum laude) and Columbia Law School (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar). Matthew served as the Articles-Submissions editor for the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and received a Certificate of Achievement from the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law.

Deborah Enix-Ross is Senior Advisor to the International Dispute Resolution Group and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council at Debevoise & Plimpton.

The U.S. Departments of Commerce and State appointed Ms. Enix-Ross as one of the original eight U.S. members of the tri lateral NAFTA Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the New York Law School Alternative Dispute Resolution Skills Program. She is also a former member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, the ADR Advisory Board of the International Law Institute, and the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association.

Ms. Enix-Ross joined the firm in 2002. She received her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 1981, a Diploma in Comparative Law from the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law of Columbia University in 1989 and a Certificate in International Law from the London School of Economics in 1979.

Allison Finn, Partner & Co-Founder, Seachange Collective, works at the intersections of gender, racial, and economic justice, as a trainer, case manager, community organizer, and mediator. Based in Beirut and NYC, she currently focuses on case management and advocacy around migrant domestic worker rights in Lebanon and regionally. Her past experience includes facilitating trainings on privilege and discrimination with Seachange Collective and other organizations; program design for youth social justice programs; and community organizing with feminist and anti-racist groups. Certified by the New York Peace Institute, she has also worked as a mediator, restorative justice facilitator, and mediation coach in NYC. Her work is grounded in decolonial and queer studies and her writing on activist tactics, labor rights, and systemic change has been published in Kohl: a Journal and the International Journal for Arts and Politics.

Genesis Fisher is the founder of Fisher Law Practice, P.C., which provides mediation, one-on-one conflict coaching, and conflict resolution training. Her innovative Organization Partnership program provides onsite conflict resolution support for businesses, helping them retain talented employees and side-step costly litigation. FLP also offers boutique criminal defense for those seeking experience and discretion. Genesis is an adjunct professor at New York Law School. She graduated from Smith College and New York University School of Law. After law school, she worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center before returning to NYC to become a public defender. Genesis spends her free time making industrial furniture and competing as a powerlifter.

Tara Fishler is currently the Restorative Practices Coordinator of the 6 schools within Lehman H.S. in The Bronx.  As a Conflict Resolution Specialist, Ms. Fishler founded “Customized Training Solutions” in 2003. She teaches conflict resolution and related skills in schools and organizations, both for her company and for Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility.  Ms. Fishler is renown for her facilitation skills, as well as for strategic planning. Educating people about how to work with individuals with special needs, is one of her passions. She has authored several articles about bullying related to children with and without special needs, as well as bullying in the workplace.

As a leader in the field of Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR), Ms. Fishler has served on the Executive Boards of The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) locally and nationally, as well as for The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA).

Victoria Fitzgerald is a 2019 Graduate of Columbia’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Master’s program. The majority of her research has focused on conflict resolution methods and how they can improve or strengthen human rights for all individuals. Most recently, her research over the past year has honed in on conflict resolution methods and their place within Department of Corrections, more specifically the role Ombuds programs play within DOC’s. Victoria has been working to create, and has approved, a program to be implemented into the NYC DOC. This has allowed her to tap into her passion for public policy, human rights, and conflict resolution and focus them in a very unique and specialized area of focus.

Lauren Sydney Flicker is an Assistant Professor in the department of Epidemiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Associate Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics and of the Einstein Cardozo Master of Science in Bioethics, and Adjunct faculty at Cardozo Law School. Her scholarship focuses on reproductive ethics, end of life care, and clinical ethics consultation. Prior to joining the Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics, Professor Flicker was a fellow in the Cleveland Fellowship in Advanced Bioethics, a multi-institutional program administered by the Cleveland Clinic.  In 2010, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics and an adjunct professor at Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University of Philadelphia. Professor Flicker received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her M.Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  

Amelia Foster is a mixed media artist and former microbiologist who researched the microbial ecology of coral reef degradation. Her current works focus on the ecology of abuse, rape culture and intergenerational trauma through the lens of cultural narratives reaching back to ancient mythologies.

Eddie Gonzalez, Engagement Manager of the Civil Conversations Project, has a keen interest in the dance between inner and outer life, the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell each other. He joins the On Being Impact Lab after a decade of work around stories and spiritual care, most recently at StoryCorps, where he worked across the United States and Canada to help individuals and organizations create space for reflective conversations through community-based storytelling and audio recording projects. Before StoryCorps he was a hospice chaplain and received his clinical pastoral education while earning an M.F.A. in creative writing. Eddie believes deeply in the power of collaboration and will be based in New York City, connecting the growing ecosystem of projects, leaders, and listeners as well as developing meaning-making products for the On Being community. He feels most alive when he’s gathering around the table with friends and family, reading and writing, or exploring the outside world on foot. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, John Henry Greenwood.

Kyle-Beth Hilfer, Esq. is the principal attorney at Hilfer Law. She has over 30 years’ experience as an advertising, marketing, and intellectual property law attorney. Ms. Hilfer is an experienced neutral for the AAA, listed on the Commercial, Intellectual Property, Sports, and Customer Account panels. She has served as sole arbitrator, chairperson, and panel member on numerous arbitrations with damages ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to multimillion-dollar awards. She has presided over large complex case, commercial, intellectual property, privacy, sports, and contract disputes. Parties to arbitrations include: advertising agencies and advertisers; intellectual property owners; sports, entertainment, pharmaceutical, media and publishing companies; and commercial business owners. Ms. Hilfer helps clients launch, market, and protect their brands. She works with clients to secure, protect, and license their intellectual property portfolios. She also helps clients leverage traditional, digital, and emerging marketplaces. Harnessing her unique understanding of social media, mobile, and digital marketing, Ms. Hilfer regularly advises clients on the multi-disciplinary legal issues associated with branding. She advises clients from the concept stage through execution on specific marketing techniques, including sweepstakes and contests, loyalty programs, influencer marketing, online reputation management, autorenewal and other continuity programs, user-generated content, native advertising, app development, and text and email marketing. Ms. Hilfer guides clients through the regulatory maze to minimize legal risk. She drafts and negotiates all related contracts to protect her clients’ interests with an eye toward avoiding litigation in the future.

Richard Horowitz is an attorney concentrating in corporate, international, and security matters. He is admitted to practice law in New York, the District of Columbia and Israel. He is a former licensed private investigator and a recognized expert in the areas of corporate intelligence, fraud, and international investigations. Mr. Horowitz served in the Israel Defense Forces for six years, attaining the rank of captain, where he researched, planned, and implemented national security projects. He pursued graduate and fellowship studies in international relations at New York University and Columbia University. Mr. Horowitz publishes extensively and has spoken in 20 countries. You can see the speaking engagements and publications page on his website, www.rhesq.com.

Jerone Hsu co-creates work at the intersection of participatory experiences, community platforms, and interdisciplinary collaborations. He delights in designing, making, and/or growing stuff.

Adira Hulkower is chief of the Bioethics Consultation Service at Montefiore Medical Center and assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  In addition to bioethics consultation, Ms. Hulkower teaches bioethics to the medical students and medical residents.  Prior to joining the Center for Bioethics Ms. Hulkower  was a trial and appellate attorney for the Legal Aid Society, where she represented children in abuse, neglect and juvenile delinquency cases.  She received her JD from the Benjamin N Cardozo school of law and her Masters in Bioethics from Columbia University.

Michelle Jackson designs  and produces creative environmental projects.  Her initiative, Seeds to Soil: Growing Together in Common Spaces, organizes events and highlight neighborhood actions to add voice and perspectives to conversations regarding urban environments. She has an MS in negotiation and conflict resolution from Columbia University.

Adam Jacobs is the co-founder and former executive director of Kids Creative and was a founding member of PS 536, a new public school in The Bronx. He has an MA in peace education and a certificate in senior nonprofit leadership from Columbia University. He also leads peace education workshops and is a rock clown for kids.

Tricia S. Jones is a Full Professor at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), past President of the Temple University Faculty Senate, and recently served as Vice-President and Member of the Board of Directors of the Board of Directors of the Association of Conflict Management. Her research and teaching focus on communication, conflict and change processes. She has authored 8 books and over 75 articles and book chapters and has given more than 250 presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Jones is currently heading the research on Conflict Coaching Efficacy in New York State Community Dispute Resolution Centers, a statewide project infusing conflict coaching into the 62-county CDRC network.

John Kiernan has served on Debevoise & Plimpton’s Management Committee and as Co-Chair of its Litigation Department (2002–2017), and has been Chair of its Ethics Committee since 1994. His representations have embraced a broad range of commercial disputes and internal investigations

Mr. Kiernan is the Board Chair of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York and Co-Chair of the Inner City Scholarship Fund, Lawyers Division. He has previously chaired the Boards of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), Legal Services-New York City, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Volunteers of Legal Service, the Justice Resource Center and the New York City Bankruptcy Assistance Project (which he co-founded), and was the Mayor of Pelham Manor, NY from 1999-2001. He has also served as a director of the City Bar Justice Center, New York Alliance for the Public Schools, Practicing Attorneys for Law Students, United Way of Pelham, NY, the Pelham Art Center, the Federal Bar Council, the Village Board of Pelham Manor, the International Senior Lawyers Project and the Point O'Woods, NY Association.

Mr. Kiernan is the immediate past President of the New York City Bar Association. He is the Chair of the New York Chief Judge’s Advisory Committee on Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution, and a member of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice and the Legal Services Corporation’s Disaster Task Force, and he has previously served as Co-Chair of the New York Chief Judge’s Task Force on Hurricane Disaster Relief and a member of Chief Judge’s Committee on Non-Lawyers and the Justice Gap. He is the co-editor of The Litigation Manual (ABA, 3rd ed., 1999) and a contributing author of New York Business Litigation (ALM 2014) and Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts (Thomson Reuters, 4th ed., 2015), and has been an Adjunct Professor at New York University Law School.

Mr. Kiernan received his B.A. in 1976 magna cum laude from Harvard and his J.D. in 1980 magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Mark Kleiman, after eight years representing children with Legal Aid Society Juvenile Right Division, founded Community Mediation Services, Inc. to divert cases from the family, civil and criminal courts. Over 35 years the agency grew to over 100 staff. It developed programs using mediation, casework, mentoring, community partnerships and various applications of mediation, coaching, restorative practice and large group dialogue. Among the programs were the PINS assessment unit for Queens, the Queens community mediation center, mentoring programs for probationary youth and the city-wide custody mediation program for the family courts. True to the values of mediation, clients were treated holistically. He is an OCA certified mediator and trainer in basic mediation and custody/ visitation

mediation. Recipient of the John M. Haynes Distinguish Mediator Award of ACR and Lawrence Cooke Peace Award from NYS Dispute Resolution Association. Founding board member of the city and state divorce mediation councils and a founding member of Mediators Beyond Borders.

Kenneth M. Kramer joined JAMS in 2010 and has since served as an arbitrator and mediator in numerous complicated financial services, securities, mergers and acquisition, antitrust and commercial contract disputes. Prior to joining JAMS, in nearly four decades in private practice at Shearman & Sterling and Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Mr. Kramer developed a reputation as a consummate securities, antitrust, and commercial litigation practitioner. Mr. Kramer is a strong and passionate advocate for alternative dispute resolution.

In addition to his litigation practice, he participated in the structuring and negotiation of many complicated corporate transactions and is expert in the documentation for leveraged buyouts, bank credit agreements, asset purchases, mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity offerings; has provided disclosure advice on hundreds of public and private securities offerings.

Chris M. Kwok comes to JAMS as a well-known and highly sought after mediator of complex labor and employment disputes. Mr. Kwok’s stellar reputation stems from a 15-year career at the New York District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he mediated hundreds of employment disputes. During his tenure at the EEOC, Mr. Kwok also served for four years as supervisory ADR coordinator, where in addition to his own mediation work, he oversaw employment law mediations across all EEOC offices within the New York District Office region. Mr. Kwok is known for his ability to formulate creative and unique solutions to seemingly intractable employment disputes

Amy Lehman, Esq. comes to the practice of law after a career in the arts.  She was a professional ballet dancer for many years in Canada, Sweden and the US, before returning to school to get her bachelor’s degree from NYU in theater history and dramatic literature. While at NYU, she worked for Broadway producers as a general management intern. After graduating from NYU, she continued to work in the theater industry as an assistant producer and assistant theatrical agent, where she reviewed contracts and managed and negotiated licensing agreements for plays in the US and internationally.

Having been inspired to go to law school by her desire to help other artists, she studied copyright, trademark, media law while at University of Michigan School of Law, where she served as an editor on the Journal of Race and Law, and as president of the Entertainment, Media and Arts Students Association.

Amy’s relationship with VLA began as soon as she had the opportunity to volunteer her services as an associate at Fleming Zulack Williamson Zauderer L.P.  Through VLA and her own practice, she has gained experience advising clients in non-profit corporate governance, negotiating and drafting contracts and license agreements.  Her primary practice has been general commercial litigation, including matters involving art law, media law, employment, intellectual property, constitutional law, real estate, insurance, contract disputes, torts, and as well as other disputes.

Amy is a trained mediator with extensive experience working with VLA in the MediateArts program and is on the panel of mediators assigned to resolve cases for the Southern District of New York.

Amy is a new member of the Entertainment Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association and was selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2014, 2016, 2017 and New York Metro Super Lawyers 2018.

Yuxi (Jocelyn) Liu is a recent graduate from the Master’s program in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University in the city of New York. Before returning to grad school, she worked in a Chinese private equity fund as an investment manager for a substantial portfolio of the local and international client, and started her career at Chinese’s largest insurance company China Life as a management trainee. Her rich experience in the financial industry catapulted her into a high stakes world of negotiation and conflict resolution and led her to the NECR program, where she learned how to manage large teams of diverse individuals and consider alternative perspectives in a systemic approach with a self-awareness mindset. In the future, Jocelyn is looking forward to growing her career in the field of organizational conflict resolution and dedicated to being a bridge builder cross the various parties to generate a mutual benefit. Jocelyn is an avid world traveler and likes watching comedian shows in her spare time.

Jennifer Lupo is the Managing Member of Lupo Law, Arbitration and Mediation PLLC (Lupo Law) with offices in Manhattan and Garden City. Lupo Law acts as outside general counsel to business organizations. The firm assists its clients with formulating sound, cohesive business and legal strategies. Lupo Law’s attorneys provide advice and counsel in corporate; finance; tax; core contracts; intellectual property; brand protection; operations; human resources; employee, vendor and investor relations; transactions; and of course, dispute resolution. Representative industries include: FinTech, Information Technology, E & V - Commerce, EnergyTech, Public Relations, Fashion, Architecture and Engineering, Hospitality, and Borrowed Personnel.

As a dispute resolution neutral, Jennifer is a mediator and arbitrator with nearly 25 years’ dispute resolution experience. She brings a unique perspective to her craft having sat in every seat at the table (client, advocate and neutral). Her core areas of expertise are: Complex Commercial/Business; Employment; Municipal; Civil Rights; and Family and Divorce. Ms. Lupo is a member of the panel of neutrals of: United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Commercial Division; Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County, Matrimonial; New York City Family Court; New York City Civil Court (Arbitration); and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Arbitration).

In 2018, Jennifer was a Higginbotham Fellow of the American Arbitration Association and the Judith S. Kaye fellow of the Historical Society of the New York Courts. She taught a course entitled “An Introduction to Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law and History” to eighth grade boys at the George Jackson Academy, an independent all-boys preparatory school in Manhattan. Ms. Lupo sits on the executive committee of the New York State Bar Association’s (NYSBA) Dispute Resolution Section and co-chairs its ADR in the Courts committee. She is a founding member of the ADR Inclusion Network, a member of the ADR Committee of the New York City Bar Association, and a member of the Women in Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section. She is also a member of the NYSBA Labor and Employment and Business Law Sections. Jennifer holds an A.B. from Bard College; an M.A. from SUNY Stony Brook, and a J.D. from Touro Law Center, with honors.

Shengjie Ma is a recent graduate student from the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program at Columbia University. He has a background in sociology, economy, and political science before he joined the program. He is currently working at a major technology company in China as the Public Relations manager. He has great passion in conflict resolution since it is not only pertinent to his career but also tightly related to his biggest interest, which is to study human interactions.

Dana C. MacGrath is an Investment Manager and Legal Counsel at Bentham IMF, responsible for leading the company’s investments in international arbitration matters and contributing to its commercial litigation funding efforts. She joined Bentham in 2019 from Sidley Austin LLP, where she was a partner focusing on international arbitration and commercial litigation.

Dana has been recognized as a leading practitioner of international arbitration in various directories, including Chambers USA, Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration, Latinvex in “Latin America’s Top 100 Female Lawyers” and Expert Guides’ Guide to the World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration.

She is an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, where she teaches a seminar on international commercial arbitration and coaches the Brooklyn Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot team. Dana is the immediate former co-chair of Y-ADR, the young arbitrators group of the CPR Institute.

Dana earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A. cum laude, from Middlebury College.

Nataliya Rasulovna Magomedova is currently a Program Logistics Consultant at CREO Syndicate. Before CREO, she was the E.A. to Legal Counsel and C.E.O. of CASES, a social justice agency based in NYC. Additionally, Nataliya is a Program Manager at Unspoken Smiles Foundation (USF), a not-for-profit organization aimed at providing fellowships and free dental treatments to children in seven countries.  Nataliya's primary role at USF is to strengthen the monitoring and evaluating process of ongoing projects that provide direct impact in the community. Upon her graduation in May 2019, Nataliya will receive a Masters of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University. Through her studies on Dynamical Systems Theory, she has focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions and on the role of leadership in fostering organizational resilience. As an Agricultural Business Volunteer in Peace Corps Cameroon, Nataliya worked with over 150 female farmers to establish cooperatives and microcredit unions. She also helped develop and implement a training series for small businesses on sustainable organic farming, apiaries, and mushroom cultivation. Nataliya graduated with honors and received a BA in Environmental Studies from Pace University in 2014.

Laura Martocci, a Sociologist and former Associate Dean at Wagner College, began working on issues of bullying with the Ophelia Project in 2001. Most recently (2017) she partnered with the Social BlackBelt, helping to digitize and roll out this NFL backed Social-Emotional Learning initiative (SEL). She is currently developing a SEL At-Risk-Youth initiative (aimed at Restorative Justice needs) for the NY Open Center. Her publications include Bullying: The Social Destruction of Self (Temple University Press, 2015); My Bullied Past: Why Does it Still Hurt? (2017); “Girl World and Bullying: Intersubjective Shame in Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye (In The Female Face of Shame), and most recently “The Capacity to Intervene: Bullying, Social Pain, and Bystander Empathy” (Sociological Inquiry, forthcoming). She also writes a monthly featured blog for Psychology Today.

Eldonie Mason is an entertainment, business and fashion attorney and arbitrator and the owner of Mason Firm, LLC. She has a passion for fashion and the arts and has represented clients across the entertainment industry including actors, directors and producers. She has also counseled fashion industry clients on corporate formation, brand development, trademark and copyright protection and compliance with FTC Regulations. Further, she is an arbitrator with FINRA and Civil Court of the City of New York, Small Claims Part and a former arbitrator on the Commercial Panel for the American Arbitration Association. Full bio at www.masonfirmllc.com

Qinza Najmis an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores psychological ecologies of violence, gender bias and sexuality. Qinza lives and works in NYC and has exhibited at Queens Museum and Museum of Moving Images among others.

David Newman, Esq. leads Gould & Ratner's Intellectual Property Group and focuses his practice in the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. His broad practice includes experience with IP litigation, preparing and prosecuting patents and trademarks, and opinion work relating to infringement/ non-infringement and validity/invalidity.

Chelsey Ng is an Actor and Writer based in NYC.She can currently be seen slinking about the Mckittrick Hotel in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Sleep No More.

Jean Norton is Assistant Deputy Counsel in the New York State Unified Court System's Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Director of the Collaborative Family Law Center. The Collaborative Family Law Center helps qualifying, NYC-area couples get divorced without going to court. The Center partners with local courts, law schools, and not-for-profit organizations to offer free divorce mediation services in appropriate cases and to reduce the pain, trauma, and expense of divorce.  As Assistant Deputy Counsel in the ADR Office, Jean works to increase awareness and utilization of court-annexed ADR processes, including mediation, throughout New York State.  Before joining the ADR office, she was the Senior Director of the Safe Horizon Domestic Violence and Immigration Law Projects.    Jean received her J.D. in 2001 from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Glen Parker works in the Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution in the New York State Unified Court System where he is on the team that supports the statewide network of Community Dispute Resolution Centers. He teaches and trains in restorative justice and conflict resolution and is an adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law, where he received a J.D. and LL.M. in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy. Glen has been on the board of ACR-GNY since 2013, and currently serves as its president. 

F. Peter Phillips is Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Skills Program and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at New York Law School.  He is an arbitrator and mediator practicing through Business Conflict Management LLC in Montclair, New Jersey (www.BusinessConflictManagement.com).  He is listed on Panels at CPR, AAA, FINRA, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the District of New Jersey, the Administrative Office of the Courts of New Jersey, and other bodies.  He is certified by the International Mediation Instituteand accredited by the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators.

Mr. Phillips serves as a member of the governing Council of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, is past Chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee of the ABA Business Law Section, and was Senior Vice President, Secretary and Interim President of CPR Institute.  He is author or chapter contributor of seven books, as well as many articles.  His 2016 law review article on the use of arbitration among American Quakers was awarded a prize for best writing by New York Law School.  Mr. Phillips wrote and co-directed four films on the use of mediation in conflicts involving business and human rights, which were awarded best publication in 2012 by London’s Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CeDR). He is a Trustee of the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  His Business Conflict Blogis featured at Mediate.com and is internationally followed.

Mr. Phillips is a cum laudegraduate of Dartmouth College and a magna cum laudegraduate of New York Law School. He was associated with the law firms of Cahill Gordon & Reindel and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

Prime Produce Collective is a community of practice, an ecosystem of applied inquiry, and an assortment of culturally diverse collaborators committed to sowing healthy ecologies. Together, we explore ways to better serve our communities. Our cooperatively-managed space in New York City, the Guild for Good, is designed to facilitate human connection, nourish conscientious productivity, and elevate the craft of intentional service. https://www.primeproduce.coop

Priscilla Prutzman is co-founder and Executive Director of Creative Response to Conflict. She teaches Conflict Resolution in Education at  SUNY New Paltz. On the Fulbright Roster for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Priscilla has written many articles and books on mediation, conflict resolution, bias awareness , bullying prevention and intervention and restorative practices. She is co-author of the Peer Mediation Standards of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR)  and has received many awards including the National Peace Foundation Peacemaker Award, The Peace and Justice Studies Association Peacemaker of the Year Award, the 1st annual William Kriedler award for  service to the field of Conflict Resolution and  the Equity and Diversity award from ACR. She is currently working in several New York City Schools helping to implement whole school approaches to restorative practices. She is very interested in bias awareness and how that can be helpful in religious conflict.

Rekha Rangachari is the Executive Director of the New York International Arbitration Center (“NYIAC”).  Founded in 2013, NYIAC is a non-profit organization that promotes and enhances the conduct of international arbitration in New York, offers educational programming, and operates world-class hearing facilities for rent in Midtown Manhattan.

Prior to joining NYIAC in October 2017, Ms. Rangachari was Director of ADR Services for the New York Commercial Division of the American Arbitration Association/International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR).  Therein, she led the New York Corporate Innovation Team, and served on the Diversity Committee – spearheading initiatives for greater cross-cultural representation and collaboration – and on the AAA/ICDR Foundation Committee.  She is a 2017 Recipient of the AAA/ICDR President’s Award for Service.  Ms. Rangachari also served as Case Counsel for the ICDR, focusing her efforts on the European and Sub-Saharan Africa Regions.

Ms. Rangachari serves as Member of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Dispute Resolution Section’s (DRS’) Executive and Diversity Committees, Co-Chair of the NYSBA DRS’ Arbitration Committee, Advisory Member of the NYSBA Planning Committee for the Judith Kaye Moot Court Competition, Member of the International Arbitration Club of New York, Member of the New York City Bar’s Standing Committee on Women in the Legal Profession, Board Member of the New York Coalition of Women’s Initiatives, Member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of International Law’s International Arbitration Committee, and Member of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s Women in Dispute Resolution Committee, among other professional and personal affiliations.  She is also a Contributor to Investment Claims.  Ms. Rangachari was educated at New York University and the University of Miami School of Law, and is trilingual in English/Tamil/Spanish.  She is admitted to practice law in the U.S. (New York).

_{M. Salman Ravala, Esq. is a New York City litigator and Harvard Law School trained mediator.  An Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School, he practices in the areas of domestic and international business law and commercial litigation; and represents both Plaintiffs and Defendants in New York state, federal, and appellate courts, as well as, in mediation and arbitration forums across the United States and globally.  Mr. Ravala also serves as a neutral on various ADR rosters including FINRA, NYS Part 137 Fee Dispute Panel, NYS Commercial Division, CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Mr. Ravala is a 2016 AAA Judge Higginbotham Fellow and graduate of Syracuse Law School.}

Sarah Rudgers-Tysz is the Executive Director of Mediation Matters, a non-profit Community Dispute Resolution Center that serves Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington Counties.  Sarah has been with the Center since 2006 and the Executive Director since 2011.  In her role Sarah seeks and builds partnerships with those throughout the counties served; designs dispute resolution programs with those partners; handles the administrative functions of the organization; conducts much of the Conflict Resolution training for the Center; occasionally still gets to mediate; and assists with volunteer management.  

Sarah is an attorney, licensed to practice in Maryland, with over 20 years of experience in mediation in a variety of settings, both public and private.  After completing law school, Sarah began her federal career with the Department of Health and Human Services in their Dispute Resolution Unit.  From there, she moved into the Federal Labor Relations Authority where she facilitated labor/management issues that were presented to the Agency for decision.  Prior to moving to NY she served as an Assistant General Counsel for the National Archives where in addition to her service for the General Counsel’s office, she ran their nation-wide workplace mediation program.  Sarah’s professional experience in conflict resolution includes restorative practices, mediation and facilitation in many areas including: community, federal, workplace, elder, youth, family, schools, and criminal justice issues; training for both educational seminars and undergraduate classes; and program design and implementation.

Sarah currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the NY State Dispute Resolution Association.  She is a NYS Certified Custody Visitation Trainer and the professor supervising the Community Mediation Clinic at Albany Law School.

Daniel Serviansky is an adjunct Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, teaching the Negotiation Workshop and Bioethics Mediation.

He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in Real Estate at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he developed a case-study course based on his decade of experience in real estate investment and syndication.

He served as a neutral in over one hundred matters and counting, on topics ranging from real estate disputes to divorces. He has also conducted hundreds more negotiations on behalf of investors, business partners, and clients. He has trained and coached lawyers, law students, future real estate professionals, and mediators.

He holds a BA from Yale University; a JD from Columbia Law School, where he trained in the Mediation Clinic; and an MS in Real Estate Development from the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. He is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida. You can reach him at 212-655-9793.

Christopher Starr's undergraduate background is a BFA double major in Environmental Studies and Creative Writing from the University of Victoria, Canada. He is currently finishing a M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University. As a half Indigenous Canadian, Chris has had first-hand experience within some of the cross-cultural and environmental issues that face North America. This background has fostered a passion for resolving environmental issues, cross-cultural communication, and dispute resolution.

Valerie Waldeier has been a Court Attorney Referee in Kings County Family Court since September 2016, hearing custody, visitation and family offense cases. From 2010-2016 she was a Court Attorney in the Kings Country Family Court, where she worked with the Honorable Ilana Gruebel. Previously, she was an attorney with New York City's Administration for Children's Services. Ms. Waldeier received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College.

Hannah Weitzer, Partner & Co-Founder, Seachange Collective, has spent over a decade working at the intersection of education and social justice as a global educator, strategic planner, facilitator, and team leader.  Her past work includes designing strategies and structures to support youth advocates at the highest-level policy forums, developing and implementing global competence and activism programs for students and educators, and partnership building. She is passionate about providing opportunities for people to learn about each other and with each other, changing the way they see themselves and the world, and creating spaces for them to be agents of change in their local and global communities.

Jungsuk Brian Yoon is a recent graduate from the Master’s of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at Columbia University, and works at Columbia University Medical Center as a financial analyst. His role at the health organization allows him to work with numbers, and also allows him to meet surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to discuss about business opportunity, lead negotiations, and facilitate mediation. He played a key role in projects to bridge gaps between Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, and is still a part of joint team to make partnership better. He is also interested in community conflicts, and believes that greater changes can happen by taking one small step at a time.

Anthony Yost is the Program Manager of Mediation and Conflict Coaching with New York Peace Institute. In his role, he oversees the community mediation and conflict coaching programs. Anthony manages partnerships with agencies all over Brooklyn and Manhattan, including the King’s County Criminal Court where he started the conflict coaching program as a court diversion service. Anthony has provided conflict resolution services for hundreds of clients throughout New York and abroad. Anthony has published several chapters and articles as well as presented on several topics in the field of conflict resolution. He earned his M.A. and B.A. in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University in Maryland.