Federal Dispute Resolution Conference

James T. Abbott
James Abbott serves as the Chief Counsel to the Chairman, Federal Labor Relations Authority. Mr. Abbott returned to the Executive Branch in September 2007 when he was selected by Chairman Dale Cabaniss to serve as her Chief Counsel. At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Abbott has served a dual role as Chief Counsel and Acting Director of the Office of Case Adjudication since February 2008.

In October 2004, Mr. Abbott was appointed to the position of Deputy General Counsel for the Congressional Office of Compliance, an enforcement agency created under the Congressional Accountability Act in 1995, to enforce labor, employment, and safety and health laws within the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government.

Prior to his appointment to the Office of Compliance, Mr. Abbott served eighteen years in various positions within the Department of Defense as a senior ethics and personnel attorney, as Senior Associate District Counsel for Personnel and Ethics, Defense Contract Management District West, in Los Angeles, California (1996-2004), Chief Counsel, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Army Materiel Command (1990-1996), Senior Labor Counsel, HQ Depot Systems Command, Army Materiel Command (1986-1990). Mr. Abbott was the recipient of numerous awards including the Defense Contract Management Agency Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Defense Logistics Agency Legal Team of the Year Award, and Commander's Award for Civilian Service.

A native of Pennsylvania and member of the Pennsylvania Bar, Mr. Abbott was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Malone College in Canton, Ohio, and Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Kimberly Bandy
Kimberly Bandy is the Senior EEO Specialist for the Central Region and the Federal Women’s Program Manager with the TSA Office of Civil Rights and Liberties Regional Support Operations Division. Kim has been with TSA Office of Civil Rights and Liberties since March 2004. She has fifteen years of experience in civil rights in both the state and Federal sectors. She recently served as the Executive Secretary to the Association of Federal External Civil Rights Specialists/Officers and a member of the Department of Justice Interagency Working Group on Limited English Proficiency.

At the state level, Kimberly was the Title VI Director for the State of Tennessee housed within the Tennessee Human Rights Commission from 1995- 2002. As the first director, Kimberly developed and established the Title VI Program for the State of Tennessee. She defined and established the components, guidelines, and objectives of a comprehensive state policy to ensure and promote present and future compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended across Tennessee state and local agencies. Kimberly was the primary Senior Legislative Research analyst on the Comptroller’s Office report released in January 1994, entitled “Tennessee State Agencies and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” She responded to numerous requests to travel across Tennessee and the country providing technical assistance and conducting seminars on Title VI to federal, state, community, and private sector entities. Bandy has also published articles for journals and newspapers across the country regarding public policy and civil rights. She was featured in a Dallas, Texas news report on the development of the Title VI Program for the state of Tennessee. Prior to coming to TSA, Kimberly worked for the Title VI Division with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Civil Rights from 2002- 2004.

In 2000, Kimberly was appointed to the Tennessee State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She is also a member of the Southern Human Rights Organizers Conference, Amnesty International, International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority INC. Kimberly was a part of the Fisk University delegation which attended the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance.

Kimberly holds a B.A. in Psychology from Marshall University and a M.A. in Industrial Psychology from Fisk University. She was a 2003 graduate of the USDA Executive Leadership Program. She is also a General Civil Mediator certified through the Tennessee Supreme Court.

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Linda L. Batts
Linda Lynn Batts is the Director of Workplace Fairness and Equal Opportunity in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the federal agency responsible for the licensing, regulation and supervision of the nation’s chartered banks.

Prior to this position, Ms. Batts served as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s principal anti-terrorist enforcement agency. Her effective leadership resulted in her receipt of the Vice-President's Hammer Award for innovative reforms within the former U.S. Customs Service, her organization's receipt of the “Commissioner's Award for Excellence in Management “in 2003, and a feature article in the “Federal Times.”

Ms. Batts possesses expertise in domestic and international EEO programs as a result of her rich and diverse background in managing EEO programs at Customs and Border Protection, State Department, Department of Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of the Army, Defense Mapping Agency, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A much sought after public speaker, in 2005, Ms. Batts joined the motivational speaking circuit along with Kwame Jackson of the Apprentice, Dr. Benjamin Carson of Johns Hopkins University, and Professor Lani Guinier of Harvard University. One year later, in 2006, Steward and Associates named her one of the fifty most powerful African American women in business.

Ms. Batts is a member of the distinguished Board of Visitors for Alabama A & M University. A graduate of Morgan State University, Ms. Batts possesses a Masters Degrees in Criminal Justice and Human Resources Administration. She is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, the J.F.K. Executive Program at Harvard, and the Executive Coaching Program at Georgetown University.

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Dr. Bertice Berry
No one defies stereotypes, generalizations or clichés more than Dr. Bertice Berry. Growing up poor in Wilmington, Delaware, the sixth of seven children, Bertice was told by a high school teacher that she was "not college material". Fortunately, there was another teacher who believed that she was destined for more. Berry applied to several schools without any idea how she would pay the tuition if she were accepted. The day her application arrived at Jacksonville University in Florida, a wealthy benefactor called the Admissions Department looking for a potential student "who could swim if they had the right backing," and might sink without it.

Bertice not only graduated magna cum laude from Jacksonville where she was awarded the President's Cup for leadership, she subsequently earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Kent State University at the age of 26. Dr. Berry taught sociology and statistics at Kent, and demonstrated that she knew a few things about humor, as well. She became one of the most popular teachers at the university; so popular, in fact, larger lecture halls had to be found to accommodate the ever-increasing number of students. "A colleague said to me, 'You're funny,' and I said, 'No I'm not, I'm a scholar,'" recounts Dr. Berry. It was then that she realized by using humor in her lectures to address such difficult subjects as racisms and sexism she was making a more profound impact.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Berry left Kent to become an award-winning entertainer, lecturer and comedienne. From 1991 through 1994 she won the coveted National Comedian of the Year Award, and was also named Campus Lecturer of the Year and Campus Entertainer of the Year. She had created a niche as both a gifted speaker with a comic edge and a comic with a serious message. Her busy schedule included over 200 appearances a year.

Dr. Berry was the host and co-executive producer of her own nationally syndicated talk show, The Bertice Berry Show, and hosted USA Live, a four-hour live interview and entertainment show on the USA Cable Network. She's been featured on numerous other television programs, including appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and BET Live with Tavis Smiley.

Dr. Bertice Berry is the best-selling author of an inspirational memoir, I'm On My Way, But Your Foot Is On My Head, and the hilarious bestsellers Sckraight From the Ghetto, You Might Be Ghetto If and the sequel You STILL Ghetto. Her first work of fiction, Redemption Song, published by Double Day in 2000, is also a best seller and has been praised by critics for it's ability to entertain, inspire and educate. Berry followed Redemption Song, with another bestseller, The Haunting of Hip Hop and took her readers on a journey to the other side. In August 2002, she released her most passionate work ever with Jim & Louella Homemade Heart-fix Remedy, a tantalizing yet spiritual tale that is sure to open more than your eyes.

Dr. Berry believes that community involvement is not limited to just "writing a check" and has taken a very active role in supporting organizations that benefit those in need. She has graciously donated all of the royalties from the sales of her books to organizations that help families of terminally ill children, raise funds for orphanages and provide resource information to low-income families.

Despite all of her honors and achievements, Dr. Berry is most proud of becoming the "instant mother" to her sister's four young children. She lives in San Diego, CA, where she is active in the community working with At-Risk Youth and teaching at area prisons and schools.

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Ralph Bittelari
Ralph is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Following law school, Ralph served three years as an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, including one year at Camp Humphries in Anjung-ri, Korea. As a JAG Officer, Ralph practiced in the areas of Legal Assistance, Administrative Law and Operational Law. Ralph joined the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in December 2003. Ralph’s practice with ATF focuses primarily on fiscal law, procurement, ethics and general administrative law.

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Alan F. Blakely
Alan F. Blakley has taught Evidence, Civil Procedure, Contracts and Advanced Trial Practice at the University of Montana and at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Professor Blakley is a member of EDRM and The Sedona Conference working group on e-Discovery. He is project leader for EDRM’s Code of Conduct project, and Chair of the Steering Committee of The Sedona Conference Working Group on Protective Orders, Confidentiality and Public Access. Prior to teaching, Professor Blakley practiced law in Montana handling a variety of complex cases including national class actions. He is licensed to practice in the courts of Montana and Texas and federal courts in Montana, Colorado, Michigan, the Court of Federal Claims, as well as federal courts of appeal for the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth and Federal Circuits, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the United States Supreme Court.

His writings include six books on discovery, including 2006 Digital Litigation Handbook published by American Lawyer Media. In collaboration with others, his book Discovery: Written and Electronic is scheduled for release by NITA in the late summer this year. He writes on ethics, “Ethics and Professionalism in e-Discovery” appears in the August 2007 edition of The New Jersey Lawyer and scholarly articles on technology issues in law, “Digital Audio Files in Litigation: Did You Think Your Oral Comments Couldn’t Come Back to Haunt You?” appears in the Fall 2007 International Journal of Legal Technology Risk Management. He brings an international perspective to the practice, having written about comparative e-discovery. His article, “Information Technology and the Shift Beyond German Procedure in U.S. Courts,” was recently nominated for the best academic paper by the International Conference on Legal, Security and Privacy Issues in IT Law.

Professor Blakley left academia in the Fall of 2006. He is now a Senior Consultant with Third Coast Consultants where he offers a variety of services to law firm and corporate clients, as well as to the community at large. Since he has conducted discovery in complex litigation, he is particularly suited to consult on litigation preparedness, to create discovery plans prior to filing litigation or prior to filing answers, or during preparation of initial mandatory disclosures. He attends “meet and confer” and other hearings with clients.

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Michael Bogdanow
Currently working in the Merit Systems Protection Board’s Office of Regional Operations, serving as Legal Liaison between the headquarters and regional offices. Also a certified Mediator in the MSPB’s Mediation Appeals Program.

Previously Associate Director, Office of Appeals Counsel. Earlier positions included service as an Appeals Officer with the U.S. Civil Service Commission, Board of Appeals and Review; in the MSPB’s Office of Appeals Operations (predecessor to the current Office of Regional Operations); as Executive Assistant to then-Chairman Herbert Ellingwood, MSPB; as Attorney at the U.S. Claims Court (now the U. S. Court of Federal Claims); and as Associate Director for Appeals Policy Development in the Office of Appeals Counsel.

Graduate of the George Washington University, Phi Beta Kappa, and its National Law Center. Member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and New Jersey, the Federal Bar Association, and the Federal Circuit Bar Association.

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Dexter R. Brooks
Dexter Brooks serves as an Attorney Advisor to the Director of the EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations (OFO). Mr. Brooks’ primary responsible is to oversee OFO’s increased emphasis on training and outreach. Mr. Brooks coordinates the development and delivery of the national training courses offered by the Office. He also ensures that the Office participates in key stakeholder outreach events. Prior to his current position, Mr. Brooks was a writing attorney in OFO’s Appellate Review Program. Before joining the EEOC, Mr. Brooks served as an Attorney Advisor for U.S. Department of Labor in its Office of Administrative Law Judges. Mr. Brooks received his J.D. from Howard University and his B.S. in Business from North Carolina A&T State University.

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Roslyn D. Brown
Roslyn D. Brown was selected as the Director, EEO and Diversity Outreach for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in May 2007. This new office of “national intelligence” was codified by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and has its origins in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The agency’s vision is that the 16 organizations that encompass the federal intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective in order to protect and prevent global threats to our national security. Diversity of its workforce, therefore is mission-imperative, and Roslyn believes she has the best EEO and Diversity job in the federal government!

Roslyn began her federal civil rights career at the EEOC in April 1974 as an investigator. In July 1994, she became the Deputy Director of EEO at Treasury/U.S. Customs Service. In June 1999, she became the Director of Discrimination Complaint Review at IRS until November 2006 when she became Director Affirmative Employment Programs at HUD.

Roslyn has an MPA Degree from George Washington University, and is a certified Mediator for the District of Columbia (1992). Over the years, she has had three (3) articles published, and she currently publishes career development advice in the Quarterly IRS AIM Elevation Newsletter, under the advice column, “Ask Roz!”

Roslyn has made presentations at several national forums including the FDR Conferences (2001-2007); EEOC’s EXCEL Conference (2004, 2006); and has been a Guest Speaker several times on “Fed Talk” Radio broadcast www.federalnewsradio.com (2001-2004).

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Chad Bungard
Chad Bungard is the General Counsel of the United States Merit Systems Protection Board, where he serves as the chief legal advisor and chief legal representative of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides advice to the Board and its organizational components on matters of law arising in day-to-day operations. As the General Counsel, Chad is also responsible for managing the MSPB’s heavy litigation docket. The Office of the General Counsel independently represents the MSPB in litigation in the United States district courts and courts of appeals in approximately 80 cases annually. The Office of the General Counsel is also responsible for performing the following functions: 1) preparing proposed decisions (Opinions and Orders) for the Board on assigned cases; 2) enforcing final Board decisions; 3) representing the Board in employment and labor relations matters; 4) developing legislative strategy and coordinating the Board’s legislative policy and congressional relations functions; 5) responding to certain requests for information; 6) developing regulations; 7) conducting the Board’s ethics program; and 8) performing the duties of an Inspector General for the agency.

On April 2, 2008, Chad was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve a five-year term as General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. He is awaiting Senate confirmation. Prior to working at MSPB, Chad served as the Chief Counsel/Deputy Staff Director for the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, where he served as the Chairman’s chief legal advisor and was responsible for the development of policy and legislation on all Subcommittee matters. He was also responsible for the formulation of the Subcommittee’s oversight agenda, for co-managing a small staff, and for all communications with the media.

Prior to working for the Subcommittee, Chad served as Counsel for the Government Reform Committee, where he primarily conducted oversight fact investigations that focused on rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse in the Executive Branch, including investigating the FBI’s controversial use of informants and cooperating witnesses in organized crime prosecutions in Boston.

Before coming to Capitol Hill, Chad was employed as an Associate Attorney with the law firm of Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom, where he engaged in the general practice of law, with an emphasis on federal civil litigation.

Chad received his J.D. from Regent University School of Law and his LL. M. (Master of Laws) in Law and Economics from George Mason University School of Law. He has been published in numerous legal publications, including the UCLA Entertainment Law Review, the Seton Hall Legislative Journal, and the University of North Carolina First Amendment Law Review. Chad has presented numerous lectures and presentations on various legal issues, including MSPB and Federal Circuit precedent, the legislative process, the federal civil service, health information technology and tort law.

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Gerald A. Cannizzaro

Mr. Cannizzaro has over 27 years of full/part time experience in the financial and retirement planning field. He has been a financial analyst with various Federal Government agencies. While with the Federal Government he served as an investment advisor to government trust funds, and developed and taught courses in various financial subjects including the risk management area. He has also worked as a security analyst and stockbroker for a local brokerage securities firm. His investment experience spans 39 years and includes: portfolio management for individuals and small companies, preparation of comprehensive financial and retirement plans, asset allocation and diversification strategies, lifetime income projections, and mutual fund and individual stock analysis.

Mr. Cannizzaro has taught classes in various financial planning, investment, and personal finance subjects over the last twenty-one years. In addition, to teaching at NITP & USDA Graduate School he also has taught investment related classes at NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College), Fairfax County Adult Education, and has been a guest lecturer at Howard University, the University of Maryland, and various Federal Agency Conferences. He also currently lectures and teaches classes for other organizations throughout the US.

He is a member of NAPFA, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, a Fee-Only planner/advisor association, the Financial Planning Association, and the Washington, DC Area Better Business Bureau. He is a Registered Investment Advisor in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and District of Columbia. Mr. Cannizzaro has his own financial and retirement planning practice, Retirement Planning Services, Inc.

Mr. Cannizzaro has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Villanova University and a Master in Business Administration degree in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School, Columbia University, NY, NY.

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Jannika E. Cannon
Jannika E. Cannon is an associate at SBVR where she practices federal personnel and employment law in a variety of forums, including federal district court, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and a multitude of agencies nationwide.

Prior to joining the firm in January 2006, Ms. Cannon was an attorney with the Department of the Navy's Office of General Counsel where she initially practiced as a procurement law attorney, focusing on shipbuilding and ship repair contract awards and bid protest litigation. After several years in government contracts, she began practicing civilian personnel law, which focused on federal employment law matters, including Title VII, ADA and ADEA litigation before the EEOC. During her tenure with the federal government, Ms. Cannon also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia where she prosecuted criminal misdemeanor cases in 2000.

Ms. Cannon is a graduate of Tennessee State University, B.S. 1992 and North Carolina Central University School of Law, cum laude 1996. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

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Joseph E. Clancy
Judge Joseph E. Clancy is a Senior Administrative Judge with the United States Merit Systems Protection Board. He is a 1975 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, and a member of the Maryland Bar. He began his Federal career in 1976 with the Federal Employee Appeals Authority under the Civil Service Commission, the predecessor agency of the MSPB. Judge Clancy served for over twenty-five years with the Board’s Washington Regional Office, which exercises jurisdiction over cases in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and the states of Virginia and North Carolina, as well as overseas locations including Europe, Africa and the Near East. In April of 2001, he joined the staff of the Board’s Atlanta Regional Office, which covers cases in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Judge Clancy has adjudicated thousands of appeals during his career and is considered an expert in the area of personnel law. Over the years, he has engaged in numerous outreach activities, providing insight and guidance to groups in both the public and private sectors. He also plays on two baseball teams, and has been known to throw curves, both on the field and in the courtroom.

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Dinah F. B. Cohen
Dinah F. B. Cohen is the Director for the Department of Defense (DoD) Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP). Ms. Cohen works closely with senior leadership throughout the Federal sector to ensure employees, beneficiaries, and members of the public with disabilities have equal access to Federal services and employment. Over 66,000 requests for accommodations have been filled since CAP's inception in 1990. Ms. Cohen also initiated a program to provide assistive technology and accommodation support to wounded service members to aid in their rehabilitation and recovery process. Recently, the Partnership for Public Service honored Ms. Cohen as the recipient of the 2007 Service to America Citizen Services Medal for her team’s tremendous impact on employees with disabilities and wounded service members.

Under Ms. Cohen's leadership, CAP has also received the 2006 Freedom to Compete Award from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Telework in the Federal Government Conference Leadership Award for 2004 sponsored by Potomac Forum, Ltd., the 2004 Best New Communications Ability Award, and three 2004 Horizon Interactive Awards. Ms. Cohen is the recipient of the Fred Strache Leadership Award sponsored by the California State University, Northridge Center on Disabilities, the Federal 100 Award, and the DoD Exceptional Civilian Service Award for her leadership and impact on the development, acquisition and management of information technology in the Federal government.

Ms. Cohen is an international speaker on disability policy, reasonable accommodations, accessibility and information technology and its impact on employment of people with disabilities. She continues to serve on numerous interagency accessibility committees and conference groups. Ms. Cohen is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She received her Master's of Science degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in rehabilitation counseling from the State University of New York. She also holds a BS in Social Science/Elementary Education from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York.

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Gloria J. Creekmore
Gloria J. Creekmore has worked for the Department of the Navy for more than 34 years and in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs for 25 years. Ms. Creekmore currently serves as an Equal Employment Specialist at the Human Resources Service Center East in Norfolk Virginia where she is the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program Manager. She provides EEO consultative services requested by customers. Ms. Creekmore also conducts workforce trend analyses, develops and provides a variety of EEO training. She also, develops strategies to address low participation in several other EEO program areas. She is currently a Certified Mediator, Mentor Mediator, and Facilitator for the Department of the Navy.

Ms. Creekmore has extensive experience in the EEO and Alternative Dispute Resolution arenas. As a mediator she has worked with civilians and military personnel using processes, such as, Mediation, Conciliation, Early Neutral Inquiry and Settlement Conferences. Ms. Creekmore also manages the Conflict Management Center at the Human Resources Service Center East.

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Debra Dupree
Debra Dupree, LMFT #23250 is an accomplished professional with deep practical experience in diverse environments, working with individuals from all walks of life. With years of experience as a therapist, mediator, trainer and consultant, Debra uses her practical style with a creative and humorous approach to help people embrace conflict as an opportunity to improve themselves and their relationships. Debra is described by her clients as an excellent facilitator for change, embracing cultural and conflict fluency to navigate the currents.

Debra currently serves as President of ADR-San Diego and was a former Tri-Chair of the Workplace Section for the Association for Conflict Resolution. She achieved the designation of Advanced Practitioner in Workplace Mediation in 2004, and, in 2005, she was recognized by the Federal Executive Board as a Super SMART Mediator for her work and contributions to the Shared Neutral Program. She is a professional member in the California Association of Marriage, Family Therapists (CAMFT) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She delivers mediation services to the Department of Navy through Peninsula Mediation, interest-based negotiation and change management training to the US Air Force, and training to various federal sector agencies.

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Naomi C. Earp
Naomi Churchill Earp assumed the role of Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on August 31, 2006, after serving as Vice Chair of the Commission since April 28, 2003. On October 26, 2005, President Bush reappointed Ms. Earp for a second term. Her current term expires on July 1, 2010.

Ms. Earp brings to the EEOC hands-on leadership and management experience; a strong track record of promoting diversity; and expertise in the equal employment opportunity (EEO) field. Her breadth of experience, spanning the private and public sectors, provides valuable insight into employment-related issues.

Ms. Earp's work experience in promoting diversity and EEO includes a series of progressively responsible leadership positions with several federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

At the NIH, Ms. Earp spearheaded the development of a world-class diversity initiative and a nationally-recognized Alternative Dispute Resolution program. At the Department of Agriculture she headed the Equal Opportunity Program, which included minority small businesses and minority farmers. Ms. Earp also served as an Attorney Advisor at the EEOC during the mid-1980s. In addition, she has worked as an independent consultant, providing services to private employers and public agencies on a variety of employment-related issues and programs. Ms. Earp is actively involved with the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association.

A native of Newport News, Virginia, Ms. Earp received her bachelor's degree from Norfolk University, Norfolk, Virginia; master's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; and Juris Doctor from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, Washington, DC. She is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar.

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Stephanie W. Fell
Ms. Fell joined FEMA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Office as an ADR Attorney in November 2005. She provides direct ADR services such as mediation, facilitation, team building, and one-on-one problem solving and listening. Ms. Fell also develops and delivers training curricula in conflict management and communication to FEMA employees.

Prior to FEMA, Ms. Fell worked as a Program Director at the Key Bridge Foundation (KBF). KBF is a nationally recognized provider of mediation services and training. Ms. Fell has gained ADR training and experience through court-annexed mediation programs in New York and the District of Columbia Superior Court, Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division mediating child protection and civil matters. In addition, Ms. Fell has mediated employment cases for the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Baltimore Field Office, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Ms. Fell’s previous experience includes practicing as a civil litigator and a regulatory attorney, as well as program coordinator at an international development organization, operations manager at an international school, and consultant at a social services agency. Ms. Fell received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in New York, New York, in 1992 and a B.A. in History from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1988. She is licensed to practice law in New York.

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Christine M. Griffin
Christine M. Griffin was sworn in on January 3, 2006, as a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ms. Griffin was nominated by President George W. Bush on July 28, 2005, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 4 to serve the remainder of a five-year term expiring July 1, 2009.

As one of five members of the Commission, Ms. Griffin participates with other Commissioners on all matters which come before it, including the development and approval of enforcement policies, authorization of litigation, issuance of Commissioners’ charges of discrimination, and performance of such other functions as may be authorized by law, regulation, or order.

Ms. Griffin’s work experience in labor and employment law includes positions in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of the Disability Law Center in Boston from 1996 to 2005. The Law Center provides legal advocacy on disability issues that promote the fundamental rights of all people with disabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life of Massachusetts. As Executive Director, she provided leadership for the Law Center’s 25 employees and conducted its overall management, including programmatic and fiscal planning, priority setting and implementation, and fundraising.

Prior to that, Ms. Griffin served from 1995 to 1996 as an Attorney Advisor to the former Vice Chair of the EEOC, Paul M. Igasaki, advising him on legal matters and policy issues. Ms. Griffin’s other federal work experience includes serving in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Army.

A native of Boston, Ms. Griffin is a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and served as its Interim President from 1993 to 1994. She is also a graduate of Boston College Law School and, upon graduation, was awarded a Skadden Arps Fellowship at the Disability Law Center. Ms. Griffin has served on many boards and task forces, including the national Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Advisory Panel, the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. In December 2005, Ms. Griffin was selected as one of the nation’s eleven “Lawyers of the Year” by Lawyers Weekly USA newspaper.

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Carlton M. Hadden
Carlton M. Hadden is the Director of the Office of Federal Operations, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Washington, D.C... The office provides oversight for the government-wide EEO complaint adjudication and affirmative employment functions and is responsible for the Federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) appellate function.

He is a graduate of an HBCU-North Carolina Central University. He also earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law. Prior to his service with EEOC, Mr. Hadden was employed with the George Washington University.

Mr. Hadden began his federal career with the commission in 1987 as an attorney responsible for writing EEOC appeals decisions. Early in his career at EEOC, he worked as a Supervisory Attorney and later as an Attorney Advisor to the Director of the Office of Federal Operations. In 1999, he was selected to be the Director of the Office of Federal Operations.

Under his leadership, EEOC’s federal sector accomplishments include the implementation of the Commission’s Policy Directive MD-715, which sets forth the requirements for Federal agencies to achieve Model EEO program status, and increased outreach, education and technical assistance. Further, through the use of innovative case management techniques, EEOC’s appellate inventory has been significantly reduced by over 40%.

Through comprehensive efforts, Mr. Hadden continues to work toward the Commission’s mission of eradicating discrimination in the federal workplace.

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Barbara I. Haga
Barbara I. Haga is President of Federal HR Services, Inc., a small business established in 2006 to provide HR services to Federal agencies.

Ms. Haga retired in September 2005 from the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia where she managed the employee and labor relations programs, benefits, the Career Transition Assistance Program and training and development programs for the Center. Her prior positions include employment as a Labor and Employee Relations Specialist at the Navy Office of Civilian Personnel Management, Eastern Region from 1989 through 1997 where she provided guidance and assistance to Navy activities on employee and labor relations matters. She was the primary Regional contact for performance management, performance-based actions, and workers' compensation and also advised on disciplinary matters, MSPB appeals and labor issues.

Ms. Haga is a past National President of the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals and received the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2007. She is the author of Federal Sector FMLA: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions published in 2007 by LRP Publications.

Ms. Haga is a graduate of the University of Virginia and received her Master of Public Administration degree from Old Dominion University in May 2006.

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Richard L. Huff
Richard L. Huff served as one of two co-directors of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Information and Privacy, the office responsible for government-wide FOIA policy guidance, since 1982 until his retirement in 2005. There he acted on all Department of Justice administrative appeals from denials under the Freedom of Information Act. He has litigated and supervised FOIA cases at the district and appellate level and has testified before Congress on the implementation of the 1996 Electronic FOIA Amendments and on the interface between the FOIA and the Privacy Act. Since retiring Mr. Huff has made FOIA and Privacy Act training presentations for the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Army, and Homeland Security, as well as for the Environmental Protection Agency, the USDA Graduate School and the American Society of Access Professionals.

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Dee Knapp
Dee Knapp, principal and owner of Accord & Collaboration, has an intuitive knack for finding common ground among people who are in intense disagreement. She brings a sense of calm to tough situations and an enthusiasm to her coaching and training that fills the room with energy. Her consistent optimism that the heart of the matter leading to common ground can be discovered and explored has served as a source for resolution and inspiration for her clients for over eighteen years. Her employment litigation experience gives her the advocate’s insight, which she uses to guide parties to their own solutions while avoiding court imposed ones.

A recognized authority on dispute resolution topics, Dee has taught workshops nationwide for the American Bar Association, the Washington Law School Foundation/Washington State Bar Association, the University of Washington Law School, the University of Phoenix, Chapman University College, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Public Administrative Forum, the Federal Dispute Resolution Conference and federal government training seminars around the country.

Dee holds a law degree from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Washington Mediation Association, and the Association of Conflict Resolution. She is a former Board member of the Washington Environmental Council, a volunteer workplace and family mediator for local dispute resolution centers and has a special interest in non-violence and peace issues.

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Patrick A. Kokenge
Patrick Kokenge joined EEOC upon completion of his JD degree from Nova Southeastern University, Sheppard Broad Law Center in Fort Lauderdale. He was promoted to the position of Chief Administrative Judge for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Miami District Office in May of 1991 from his position of Senior Trial Attorney in that office. Judge Kokenge supervises the District’s Hearings Unit consisting of nine Administrative Judges with jurisdiction over federal civilian personnel in the State of Florida, with the exception of the panhandle, and the Caribbean. The Administrative Judges hear the cases of employment discrimination appealed to the Commission from federal agencies domiciled within his jurisdiction after the completion of an investigation.

In addition to his duties as the Chief Administrative Judge, Judge Kokenge has served as the Alternate Dispute Resolution Coordinator for the District and an Enforcement Manager for the private sector investigations. He is a former panelist for the American Arbitration Association for labor and employment, a member of the Florida Bar and a past co-chair of the Florida Bar’s EEO Committee, Section on Labor and Employment.

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Joel A. Kravetz
Joel Kravetz, an Administrative Judge in the Washington Field Office, has worked for the EEOC since 1997. Prior to becoming an AJ, he worked in the Office of Federal Operations drafting decisions and assisting the Director with outreach and training. He helped develop the New and Continuing EEO Counselor Training courses and the course on the revisions to the 1614 Regulations. In 2003, Mr. Kravetz was detailed to the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting criminal cases in D.C. Superior Court.

Prior to joining the EEOC, he was employed as an in-house labor and employment attorney at a Fortune 500 company and volunteered as an attorney and mediator at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. He has also worked in human resources for six years at an International Publisher and International Software Company. Mr. Kravetz received his B.A. in International Studies at the College of William and Mary, his J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University Law School’s Evening Division, and a Master of Laws degree in Labor and Employment Law, with distinction, at Georgetown University Law Center. In the Spring of 2002, Mr. Kravetz published an article in the University of Pennsylvania’s Journal of Labor and Employment law entitled: Deterrence v. Material Harm: Finding the Appropriate Standard to Define an “Adverse Action” in Retaliation Claims Brought Under the Applicable Equal Employment Opportunity Statutes.

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Cynthia Mazur
Cynthia Mazur is the Alternative Dispute Resolution Director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/DHS. She has been doing workplace mediations for FEMA since 1999. She has been mediating family cases since 1991 and child abuse and neglect cases since 1998 for the D.C. Superior Court. She has been arbitrating legal malpractice and fee dispute cases for the D.C. Bar since 1991 and mediating these cases since 2000. Ms. Mazur began volunteering for Shared Neutrals when it began in 1995 and has been a mentor in the program. Ms. Mazur is Chair of the Interagency ADR Working Group, Workplace Conflict Management Section. Ms. Mazur’s prior position at FEMA was the Associate General Counsel for Program Law, whereby she supervised the attorneys who supported all of FEMA’s disaster work.

Ms. Mazur received a scholarship to attend the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France in 1991. That same year she completed a Teaching Fellowship at Georgetown University Law Center. She supervised prisoner civil rights and criminal cases and earned an L.L.M. in Appellate Advocacy. She earned her M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1980. Her publications include an article on religious rights and minorities and two books on religion and the law.

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James P. Mitchell
James Mitchell is a communications professional with experience in large organization challenges, encompassing public and congressional affairs and crisis response. During his almost 29-year Navy career he achieved the rank of captain and served ultimately as Navy deputy chief of information, a key advisor to the senior civilian and military leadership. He served more than three years as the chief spokesman for NATO operations involving Bosnia, including maritime and air operations and planning for NATO deployment. He led communications for the operations, which received extensive international media and public attention. Previously, he was the Navy’s chief spokesman, during a period of controversy and intense public interest, including the Gulf War, the so-called “Tailhook scandal,” the explosion of the battleship USS Iowa, and an extended series of accidents. His prior public affairs assignments included the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Trident ballistic missile submarine force, Navy Recruiting, the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific and Japan-based U.S. naval forces. His Navy career included extensive travel in East Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Upon Retirement, he joined an organization engaged in oceanographic research and education. He later operated an independent communications practice, before joining Booz-Allen & Hamilton. Then, while a senior manager for communications at a Washington, DC law firm, he accepted an appointment as director of public affairs for an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), where he also served temporarily as the first public affairs officer for the Transportation Security Administration. He later assumed an agency chief of staff position.

In 2004, he joined the office of the Coalition Provisional Authority Inspector General (CPA-IG), established to audit, inspect and investigate reconstruction activities in post-war Iraq. As assistant inspector general for congressional and public affairs, he fostered the public presence of CPA-IG, and worked with Congress to extend and re-designate it as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

In April 2007, he was appointed as director of communications for the U.S. Special Counsel, an independent Executive Branch investigative and prosecutorial agency with jurisdiction over the Hatch Act, whistleblower laws, prohibited personnel practices, and the law that protects jobs for military reservists and members of the National Guard while they are serving on active duty. In July 2008, he was assigned additional duties as chief of staff.

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Donald J. Musacchio
Donald J. Musacchio retired from a notable 36 year federal career in January 2004.. Mr. Musacchio last served as the Assistant Deputy Administrator for Management of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. He was responsible for Agency-wide policy formulation and implementation in the areas of Labor and Employee Relations, Human Resources, Civil Rights, Emergency Planning, and Administrative Services. Post September 11, 2001, Don also had responsibilities in the programs of Continuity of Government (COG) and Continuity of Operations (COOP).

Prior to entering the Senior Executive Service, Don was the Director of Labor and Employee Relations for FSIS from1994 to 1999. He represented FSIS management in dealings with a very aggressive bargaining unit of over 6500 employees of which greater than eighty- five percent were dues paying. Between 1974 and 1994, he served in various LR/ER and EEO counselor positions throughout the Department of the Navy. In those positions he provided labor and employee relations advice and representational services to naval activities throughout the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. Don has successfully represented management before the FLRA, FSIP, MSPB, EEOC and arbitrators. He has been the chief negotiator on numerous labor agreements, dealing with employees both covered by and exempt from Title V. He is a trained and experienced mediator and facilitator with expertise in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and interest based problem solving techniques.

Don is a founding member and former Vice-Chair of the Interagency Labor Relations Forum. The ILRF is a group devoted to focusing on labor and employee relations advocacy and professional development from a management perspective. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals Since his retirement he has provided consultant services to several federal agencies including DHS, USDA, HHS, NIH and NOAA.

Mr. Musacchio received his B.S. and M.S. from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He is the co-author of The Federal Supervisor's Guide to Drug Testing; The Federal Employee's Guide to Drug Testing; and Managing Leave and Attendance Problems: A Guide for Federal Managers. Don is an entertaining and sought after speaker and trainer. He has conducted hundreds of labor and employee relations courses and trained thousands of federal managers.

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Cinnie Noble

Both as a former social worker and as a lawyer-mediator, Cinnie Noble, C.M., B.S.W., LL.B., LL.M. (ADR) has practiced and studied conflict management for over 20 years. She has undergraduate degrees in law and social work, a Masters in Law in Alternate Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School and is a Certified Coach (International Coach Federation).

Cinnie’s company, CINERGY® Coaching, provides conflict coaching and Basic and Advanced Conflict Coaching Workshops, which have been accredited by the International Coach Federation. Cinnie is the editor of the coaching section of www.mediate.com, co-host of the International Coach Federation’s Special Interest Group on Conflict Coaching and the chair of the Workplace Section’s Conflict Coaching Subcommittee of the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Cinnie has published four books. Two of those (Mediation Advocacy: Effective Client Representation in Mediation Proceedings, 1998 and Family Mediation: A Guide for Lawyers, 1999) and numerous articles, are on topics relating to the dispute resolution field. She is currently writing a book on conflict coaching. Cinnie was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1990 for her pioneering work in the travel industry, on behalf of people with disabilities.

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Mary Elizabeth Palmer
Mary Elizabeth Palmer has been an administrative judge with the Commission's Baltimore District Office since 1987. Prior to that she was in private practice for ten years. Since February 2004, she has been the Chief Administrative Judge of the Baltimore Hearings Unit. She has been a frequent speaker on behalf of the Commission to federal employees, managers, and counsel. Some of the topics she has spoken on include discovery, examination of witnesses, sexual harassment, reasonable accommodation and conducting an effective investigation. She is a member of the Maryland Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section. She received her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College and her J.D. from the University of Maryland.

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Arlene A. Patel
Ms. Arlene Patel currently serves as Senior Advisor, Office of the Special Counselor, Office of Civil Rights and Liberties, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Administration (TSA). A civil rights professional with over 25 years of Federal service in civil rights and human resources management, Ms. Pate1 was originally on loan from Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation to assist TSA in establishing its Affirmative Employment and Diversity Outreach programs.

Prior senior leadership positions include serving in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Safety providing conflict resolution services for regulatory negotiation and rule-making activities. While on special assignment to the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC, Ms. Pate1 developed interest-based bargaining training for the railroad and airline industries. As the Administrator, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Programs with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), Ms. Pate1 created the FMCS external Ombudsman Program providing specialized conflict interventions services to Federal executives, congressional staff, and agency legal counsel.

Ms. Patel served as Special Assistant in the Office of the Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) where she co-chaired the ADR Committee that helped to lay the groundwork for EEOC's internal EEO ADR Pilot Project. For her work in ADR systems design and facilitation services, she received the EEOC Chairman’s Organizational Award. She also designed ADR pilot programs for the Defense Logistics Agency, and developed procedures for mediating same-sex disputes in the Department of Transportation.

She is a graduate of the Simmons Graduate School of Management, Boston, Massachusetts, and holds a Masters in Conflict Resolution, Antioch University, Ohio. In Maryland, she served as a member of the Mass Transit Citizens Advisory Board and Commissioner, Howard County Commission for Women. She has worked internationally in the field of conflict resolution having presented workshops in Belgium, Panama, China, England, Costa Rica, and Canada.

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E. Lee Patton
Mr. Patton is a native of Frankfort, Kentucky. He received his undergraduate degree from Kentucky State University, a post-graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been employed by the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service since 1979. He is presently the Deputy Associate Chief Counsel (Labor & Personnel) General Legal Services (GLS). GLS coordinates the legal work of the Office of Chief Counsel with respect to a broad range of matters not directly relating to Federal tax issues, including labor, personnel, EEO issues.

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Tracey Pilkerton Cairnie
Tracey Pilkerton Cairnie is founder and owner of CoreVision, LLC, a woman-owned small business specializing in conflict analysis and resolution, coaching, and communication processes. Tracey is a certified mediator/mentor, facilitator, coach, trainer, and public participation specialist. Tracey has over twenty years experience in developing and implementing a variety of communication and alternative dispute resolution programs, workshops and seminars.

Tracey also facilitates dialogues (i.e., community, workplace) and strategic planning efforts, provides coaching (one-on-one or team), and designs and implements public outreach programs for a variety of environmental and transportation projects. Her clients include government agencies (federal, state and local), businesses (profit and non-profit), universities, communities, families, and individuals. Tracey provides in-depth interviews, assessments, and issues analysis to determine the most effective approach for program design.

Tracey is an adjunct-professor at George Mason University teaching mediation, collaborative communication, and negotiation skills. She provides specialized training in leadership development, conflict management, negotiation, coaching, creative problem solving, and interpersonal relations. Tracey holds a MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a BS in Public Administration from George Mason University. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Executive Leadership Coaching Program (an affiliate of International Coach Federation).

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Maria Price Detherage
Maria Price Detherage is the Executive Office Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ newest Staff Division, the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA). This office nationally administers the third level of hearings and appeals for the Medicare program. Prior to August 2005, Maria was the Director of Labor and Employee Relations Programs for HHS. In that capacity, she provided corporate oversight for the labor relations (LR) and employee relations (ER) policies and programs at HHS and was intricately involved in the planning, strategy, and execution of most of the Department’s major initiatives affecting numerous HHS Agencies - e.g., the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), and Indian Health Service (IHS). Maria began her federal career in 1989 as a Graduate Fellow in HHS’s Center for Management Excellence where she served as an internal consultant to the Department’s policy arm on Equal Employment Opportunity and Labor Relations. She has served in numerous capacities since then.

Maria received a Collective Bargaining Official’s Citation for serving as the Department’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) management representative on the federal government’s first term contract negotiating teams using Interest Based Negotiations.

Maria Price Detherage has a Masters of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Group Dynamics. She also taught “Effective Management Tools and Techniques for the year 2000 and beyond” at the USDA Graduate School. She is a trained facilitator and an arbitrator with the Better Business Bureau. Ms. Detherage, a member of the American Association of Arbitrators and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, has been recognized in the “1999 Edition of “International Who’s Who of Professionals.”

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Mina Raskin
Mina Raskin is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown Law School (JD and LLM). She began her career with the Bureau of Prisons in January of 1990 as an attorney with the Commercial Law Branch of the Office of General Counsel. Since that time, she has worked as a Special Assistant to the Chief of the Design and Construction Branch of the Administration Division, and as the Executive Assistant for Federal Prisons Industries. In September of 1998, she rejoined the Office of General Counsel as the first ever Counsel for Dispute Resolution. In that position, she was responsible for creating and promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution programs for the Bureau. Ms. Raskin currently serves as both the EEO Officer and the Senior Counsel for Dispute Resolution for the Bureau. In the year 2000, she was selected as the Attorney General’s recipient of the John Marshall Award for Alternative Dispute Resolution. She currently is an adjunct law professor at Catholic University Law School teaching Mediation.

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Angelia C. Richardson
Angelia has 40 years of Federal Government Service, twenty-eight (28) in the Civil Rights/EEO arena. She began as an Equal Opportunity Specialist, Civil Rights Investigator with the former Office of Revenue Sharing and is presently with the National Endowment for the Arts as the Director of EEO/Civil Rights. She is an active member/participant of several committees/organizations directly involved with EEO/CR and ADR. Angelia is Chairperson of the Association of External Civil Rights Specialists and Officers. She serves as the Arts Endowment’s liaison to the White House for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She was one of the original pioneers responsible for publishing the first ADR EEO Starter Package.

Angelia is a practicing mediator trained at Bowie State University. She keeps abreast of new technology and ventures in the EEO/CR/ADR arena through constant networking and training. Angelia has served as a presenter at several FDR conferences. She is considered an expert on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Section 501, the Americans with Disabilities Act and conducting self-evaluations and discrimination complaints. She provides her services on a volunteer basis in the Washington Metropolitan area.

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Mary Ryan
Mary Ryan currently serves the Department of the Navy (DON), Office of Civilian Human Resources (OCHR) in the Workplace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program. As Program Manager, Ms. Ryan coordinates all areas of DON Workplace ADR. She implements the tiers leading toward the certification of DON mediator candidates by conducting training, screening candidates as well as mentoring and evaluating candidate co-mediations. The DON received the 2002 Office of Personnel Management Director’s Award for Outstanding ADR Programs for this workplace program.

Previously, Ms. Ryan was the Ombudsman for the Defense Civilian Personnel Management Service's Office of Complaint Investigations (OCI) and was a founding member of OCI's ADR Team. Additionally, Ms. Ryan's background includes ADR and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) experience with the Navy Secretariat and Staff Offices while working for the Assistant for Administration/Under Secretary of the Navy's Command Deputy EEO Officer. Ms. Ryan's federal service includes staffing, classification, training and budget.

Mary Ryan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Northern Virginia. Ms. Ryan is a facilitator, DON Certified Mediator and a Virginia Supreme Court Certified Mediator for family and general cases. She received extensive ADR training from the Northern Virginia Mediation Service, the Justice Center of Atlanta, Inc., and Peninsula Mediation & ADR. Her training in arbitration began with the Better Business Bureau. Ms. Ryan has a Master of Science Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Averett University with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. Ms. Ryan is enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Coaching Certification Program.

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Joseph Schimansky
Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Received a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in Philosophy and Political Science in 1974. Received an M.A. in Philosophy in 1979 from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, and an M.A. from the Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations of the University of Illinois in 1982. Worked for approximately 22 years at the national office of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, drafting decisions in the arbitration, unfair labor practice, and negotiability subject areas. Began employment as a Staff Associate at the Federal Service Impasses Panel in the Fall of 1986. Named Assistant Executive Director of the Panel in March 1992, and Executive Director on December 8, 1996.

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Ronald P. Sanders
In June of 2005, Director of National Intelligence Ambassador John Negroponte appointed Dr. Ronald P. Sanders to the Senior National Intelligence Service as the U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) Chief Human Capital Officer. In this newly created position, Dr. Sanders is responsible for human resources (HR) strategies and policies supporting the thousands of military and civilian employees who serve in our nation’s intelligence agencies. In this capacity, he authored the IC’s first-ever Strategic Human Capital Plan and has led the design of a new pay-for-performance system for the Community’s civilians; he has also led the development and implementation of the IC’s revolutionary civilian “joint duty” program, as well as the integration of its HR information systems. For these and other accomplishments, Dr. Sanders was named the American Society of Public Administration’s HR Professional of the Year in 2005, and this year was elected as a Fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Public Administration.

From December 2002 until May 2005, Dr. Sanders served as the Office of Personnel Management’s first Associate Director for Strategic HR Policy, where he was responsible for all policies and programs governing the Federal government’s almost two million employees. In that capacity, Dr. Sanders led the design and development of the Senior Executive Service’s revolutionary new pay-for-performance system, groundbreaking new personnel systems for the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, and the Bush Administration’s landmark civil service reform legislation, the proposed Working for America Act. Awarded the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive in 2003 (his third Rank Award in three different agencies), he also received OPM’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Public Service, as well as the Department of the Navy’s medal for Distinguished Public Service.

From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Sanders served as the Internal Revenue Service’s first Chief Human Resource Officer, with HR strategy and policy responsibility for the more than 120,000 employees working for the IRS. In that capacity, Dr. Sanders played a key leadership role in the service’s historic restructuring efforts, directing the successful realignment of the agency’s workforce from a decades-old geographic structure to one based on taxpayer segments – without any interruption in essential agency operations. In recognition of these achievements, he received a second Presidential Rank Award, as well as three Commissioner’s Awards, the highest honor that can be bestowed on an IRS employee.

From 1990 to 1998, Dr. Sanders served as the Department of Defense’s Director of Civilian Personnel, with responsibility for HR and equal employment opportunity policies and programs covering the Department’s over one million civilian employees. Dr. Sanders led the Department’s historic civilian drawdown, pioneering the use of separation incentives in the Federal Government; he also founded the Defense Civilian Personnel Management Service (DCPMS), a first-of-its-kind “shared services” organization providing HR support to DOD agencies and employees worldwide. For his work at Dodd, Dr. Sanders received his first Presidential Rank Award, as well as the Defense Civilian Service Medal. Prior to his DoD appointment, he served in a variety of senior HR positions in the Department of Air Force, including Deputy Director of Civilian Personnel (SES); in that capacity, he received the Air Force’s coveted General Robert J. Dixon Award for Leadership, the first and only civilian to be so honored in the thirty-year history of the award.

Dr. Sanders earned his Doctorate in Public Administration (DPA) from the George Washington University in 1990. His undergraduate degree is in business management from the University of South Florida, where he received its 1993 Alumni Award of Merit; he also has a Master of Science Degree in human resource management and industrial relations from the University of Utah, and has been inducted into three national academic honor societies. In 1987, Dr. Sanders attended MIT’s Sloan School of Management as a Senior Executive Fellow, and in 1989 he completed a Congressman Fellowship on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

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John Settle
John Settle is President of SETTLEment Associates, LLC, a firm providing mediation and conflict management training, and he is a Senior Associate for GRA, Inc., HR Consultants. He is a member of the Virginia Bar and “Of Counsel” to the Alexandria, Virginia, employment law firm of Riselli and Pressler. John is certified as a mediator and Mentor Mediator by the Supreme Court of Virginia, and he holds Advanced Workplace Mediator status from the Association for Conflict Resolution. He is on the faculty of George Washington University’s Leadership Excellence Program, where he teaches on negotiation and conflict management. Among positions John has held are: President of the Virginia Mediation Network; Co-Chair of the Workplace Section of ACR; and Board Member of the Northern Virginia Mediation Service and the D.C. Chapter of ACR. He is Virginia Governor Kaine’s civilian appointee to Virginia’s Interagency Dispute Resolution Advisory Council. John also is a contract mediator for the Washington and Baltimore offices of EEOC and EEOC’s internal “Resolve” program. His background includes federal executive positions, and he holds the Presidential award of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service. John is author of The Advocate’s Practical Guide to Using Mediation, Dewey Publications, Inc., and he recently co-authored “A Perfect Storm: A confluence of Problems in Organizational Team Building,” in the Fall/Winter 2007 issue of ACResolution.

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Derek Shields
Derek Shields is Vice President of Disability Management and Quality of Life Solutions for Axiom Resource Management, Inc. Mr. Shields is also the Program Manager for the Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP). Having spent nearly thirteen years working with CAP, Mr. Shields works to increase the accessibility of the federal electronic and information technology environment. During this tenure, CAP received the 2006 Freedom to Compete Award from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the 2003 E-Gov Explorer Award, a Hammer Award from Vice President Gore, and numerous other awards for CAP’s impact on federal agency accommodations and accessibility.

Mr. Shields also provides direction and/or strategic planning support services to other teams, including the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach, the Department of Labor’s Central Office for Assistive Services and Technology, the TARGET Center at the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Army’s Microsoft Training Program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs Independent Living Program, and the DoD Family Policy Office.

He has presented at national training conferences with a focus on utilizing reasonable accommodations and accessible technology in federal disability policy and programs to increase employment of people with disabilities and disabled veterans in the federal workforce.

Mr. Shields earned his Bachelor of Arts at Bucknell University and his Masters of Management and Disability Services at the University of San Francisco.

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Stephen T. Shih, Esq.
Stephen Shih currently serves as the Chief of the Center for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) at the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), where he has been employed since August 2004. In his capacity as the agency’s EEO Director, Mr. Shih serves as the principle EEO advisor to the Director of OPM and represents the Director in all EEO matters within the agency. Mr. Shih is responsible for promoting EEO at OPM by providing guidance on all agency planning, policies and decisions, as well as administering programs and policies that help the agency identify and eliminate systemic barriers to EEO.

Additionally, Mr. Shih oversees the EEO complaints program at OPM, with responsibility for providing EEO counseling for employees and applicants, administering the Agency’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program, processing formal complaints, conducting investigations, and issuing decisions.
Prior to Mr. Shih’s employment at OPM, Mr. Shih occupied the position of Supervisory Administrative Judge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Washington Field Office, where Mr. Shih supervised a staff of administrative judges responsible for adjudicating federal sector EEO cases arising out of Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Europe. Mr. Shih initially entered into duty with the EEOC as an Administrative Judge in November 1993, and Mr. Shih began his legal career serving on a U.S. Congressional Subcommittee and in the contracts department of the U.S. Mint.

Mr. Shih has extensive experience in public speaking and training, and has been invited to give speeches, presentations, and training at numerous organizations, including: Central Intelligence Agency; Department of Justice; Interpol; Department of the Navy; U.S. Postal Service; Department of Agriculture; Federal Aviation Administration; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; D.C. Bar Association; Virginia Bar Association; Fed Talk radio show; National Asian Pacific Bar Association; Federal Dispute Resolution Conference; and EEOC’s EXCEL Conference.

Mr. Shih has specifically trained organizations on the following topics: Model EEO Program; Title VII; ADEA; ADA; Rehabilitation Act; EPA; PDA; EEOC regulations; and litigation of EEO complaints (e.g., class actions, amendment of complaints, continuing violations, procedural dismissals, mediation, discovery, depositions, motions practice; summary judgment; pre-hearing conference advocacy; witness preparation; witness examination; admission of exhibits; trial objections; opening and closing statements; compensatory damages; attorneys' fees; and appellate advocacy). At OPM, Mr. Shih has designed and delivered comprehensive training on EEO, the No FEAR Act, and human capital management, as well as the implementation of human resources policies and climate assessment studies.

Mr. Shih received a Bachelors of Science degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctors degree from the Washington University School of Law. Mr. Shih is a member of the Bar Associations for both Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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Carolyna Smiley-Marquez, Ph.D.
Dr. Carolyna Smiley-Marquez is the family historian, a story keeper, maker and teller with a particular interest in stories with common themes among Native American groups. She honors her Pueblo and Genezaro ancestors from the lands between the Rio Grande and El Camino Real in New Mexico in her work. She is the mother of five valuable people and will joyfully be the grandmother of four by fall this year. Carolyna is a member and conference presenter for the Native Network of the Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution and the Association for Conflict Resolution. She has provided consulting services and educational programs for many government agencies and for the all of the NCEPS groups, most recently a program on the Impact of Historic Trauma on ADR for SAIGE 2008. She is often called upon to provide facilitation and intervention services when cross-cultural, discrimination or diversity issues may be factors. She has a special interest and concern for returning veterans and others that have experienced life-threatening traumatic events and for the historic, repeated, generational trauma experienced by Native Americans.

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John Szabo
John Szabo has been the Senior Attorney for Ethics in the Office of the General Counsel for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 1991. He previously served for ten years as Ethics Counselor for the Department of Veterans Affairs. His Federal service also includes the Department of Justice, ACTION, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and the United States Senate. He chairs the Interagency Ethics Council, a forum for Federal ethics officials, and the ethics panel for the Howard County, Maryland, Board of Education. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar association. Mr. Szabo received his bachelor's degree, with distinction, from Georgetown University and his law degree from George Washington University. He has spoken on ethics issues before various organizations. He has received numerous awards for his legal and ethics service, including the NRC's Meritorious Service Award.

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Alexander G. Thompson
Currently assigned as an Administrative Judge in the Merit System Protection Board’s Atlanta Regional Office.

Previously Associate Director, Office of Appeals Counsel. Earlier positions included counsel to then-Chairman Beth Slavet; staff attorney in the Office of Appeals Counsel; Labor Counselor at Fort Huachuca, Arizona; and law clerk to the Honorable George E. MacKinnon, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Graduate of the Notre Dame Law School. Member of the Bar of the District of Columbia.

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Linda Toyo Obayashi
Toyo is a full time attorney/mediator currently living in Baltimore, MD. She has mediated hundreds of employment, corporate, commercial, real estate, and domestic cases for The World Bank Group, Maryland Circuit Courts, various federal and state agencies, and in her private practice. She has delivered conflict resolution training to various public and private institutions and has been a presenter and speaker for the American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution, Association for Conflict Resolution, Federal Dispute Resolution, and the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Toyo is a past president of the Maryland Chapter of ACR. She currently serves her second term with the American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution Council. The Daily Record named her as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women (2002).

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Erika Turner
As an Attorney-Advisor with the Office of Chief Counsel, Erika Turner provides counsel to the Transportation Security Administration on matters concerning employment and civil rights. In her present position, she advises senior management on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) issues, conducts EEO training, and works closely with the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties.

Prior to joining the Transportation Security Administration, Ms. Turner was an Assistant General Counsel with the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons. During her tenure with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, she represented the Agency before the EEOC and the FLRA, and assisted Assistant United States Attorneys with matters in United States District Courts.

While with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Ms. Turner served as Agency Counsel on a high-profile, multi-million dollar Pay Act case filed before the United States Court of Federal Claims. Ms. Turner began her career as an Honors Attorney with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2003.

Ms. Turner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. Ms. Turner is licensed to practice law in New Jersey.

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Allison B. Uehling, Esq.
Allison B. Uehling, Esq., received her undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Utah. She received her J.D. with honors from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. She writes and edits federal EEO-related articles, Quick Start Guides, and eLearning modules for cyberFEDS®, LRP Publication's on-line service. She has written a number of books and pamphlets; including What Do I Do When … Addressing and Processing Federal EEO Complaints, The Basics of Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace, and Faith and the Federal Employee: Your Guide to Preventing Religious Discrimination and Harassment. She also regularly presents audio conferences on a variety of EEO subjects. Ms. Uehling has been the editor of the Federal Equal Opportunity Reporter® for a number of years. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.

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Richard W. Vitaris
Richard W. Vitaris received his B.A. degree from Georgetown University in 1977, and his J.D. degree, with highest honors, from Rutgers University School of Law—Camden in 1980, where he served as Articles Editor of the Rutgers Law Journal. He received an LL.M. degree in Labor Law from The George Washington University in 1983.

Judge Vitaris served in The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1980 to 1988. After leaving active duty, he served as the Labor Counselor at Fort McPherson, Georgia.. He became an Administrative Judge with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board in May 1991. Judge Vitaris served as the President of the MSPB Professional Association, a Title 5 labor organization, from 1996-2000. Judge Vitaris has completed the MSPB's Senior Management Fellows Program, during which he served a six-month detail as Deputy Managing Counsel of the Law Department for the U.S. Postal Service's Southeast Area. Judge Vitaris is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute's Leadership for a Democratic Society program and of Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation.

Judge Vitaris has published law review articles in the Valparaiso Law Review, the Rutgers Law Journal, the Military Law Review, and the Army Lawyer.

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Michael West
Michael West is a certified mediator and trainer with fifteen years of experience in mediation, conflict resolution skills and delivering training. He began his career as a mediator with the Commonwealth of Virginia court system mediating general, civil, domestic and equitable distribution cases. He expanded his expertise as a dispute resolution specialist, mediator, leadership coach, and trainer in the federal government and through private practice in Fairfax, Virginia.

Michael has a Masters degree from the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University and is a graduate of the Georgetown Executive Leadership Coaching program. He teaches collaborative communications, conflict theory, and the mediation process at New Century College, George Mason University. He also conducts training on the topics of integrating practice and theory, relationship awareness, conflict prevention, leadership and communications skills in the federal sector.

Michael is a highly interactive, creative, and energetic trainer. He believes training must be participant centered and he accomplishes that by incorporating humor, insightful anecdotes and practical exercises to illustrate concepts and theories.

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Joan C. Williams
Ms. Joan Williams is the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity and Training for the Department of Navy (DON), Human Resource Service Center East (HRSCE). Ms. Williams is also a DON certified Mediator and regional ADR Coordinator.

Ms. Williams has served in numerous positions in Equal Employment Opportunity for more than 20 years. She was a member of Navy’s first ADR design team. She has been involved with the development of ADR training and has received extensive training in the field. She is known for her innovative approach to program management. She established a state-of-the-art Conflict Management Center in the East region. She serves as a trainer, mentor, facilitator and project coordinator in EEO and ADR.

In addition to her present positions Ms. William’s federal service career includes positions in statistical analysis, finance, procurement and quality assurance.

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David L. Wortham
David L. Wortham currently serves as a mediator/counselor with the United States Department of Education’s Informal Dispute Resolution Center, where he regularly mediates Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, Labor/Management, and Administrative grievances. Mr. Wortham has over 15 years of experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution, including diversity training and facilitation sessions. He is affiliated with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Federal Interagency Program on Sharing Neutrals and is actively involved in community youth programs.