Raising the Standards of Mediation

RISING TIDES

As the tides of technology, communication awareness, and mental health support continue to rise, so too should all of our boats in the mediation field. These exceptional presentations were recorded October of 2025.

2025 Mediate.com Conference Recordings

CLE/CEU 6 General, 3 Workplace and 3 Family

Yes! Sign me Up

Discover New Horizons in Mediation

The Rising Tides Conference gives you the opportunity to elevate your practice, learn from leaders in the field, and gain practical tools to navigate today’s mediation challenges — all at your own pace. The program delivers fresh perspectives, innovative strategies, and emerging trends — including the integration of AI in mediation. With sessions spanning both Workplace and Family Mediation, you’ll gain unique insights and expertise to help you stay at the forefront of the profession.

28 Presenters
13 Hours of Video
One-Year Access

OUTLINE

Raising the Standards of the Mediation Field

CLE/CEU 7.25 General, 3.25 Workplace and 3.5 Family

Expand
Hide

Keynotes

The conference opens with an inspiring start as Bob Bordone explores Conflict Resilience and Bridget McCormack challenges us to ask, How can we truly put the client first? These keynotes set the stage for a day dedicated to elevating the mediation profession.

Tools, Technology and Mental Health

The sessions begin by offering practical tools to expand visibility, embrace new technologies, and integrate mental health awareness into practice.

Empowering Practice and Safety

Next we turn the spotlight on party-centered approaches and safety standards, highlighting new ways to empower participants and safeguard the process. From exploring frustrations and party-led insights to raising safety benchmarks and shifting perspectives on practice, the sessions are designed to give mediators concrete strategies for innovation, empowerment, and resilience. Day One closes with renewed energy and a clear focus on raising professional standards across the field.

Workplace Mediation

The Workplace track addresses today’s most pressing organizational challenges, from burnout and mental health in conflict to evolving ombuds and HR roles, miscommunication, and professionalism.

Keynotes

Two powerful keynotes: Jeff Thompson on Resiliency—bridging insights across both workplace and family contexts—and Michael Lang leading participants through a reflective practice exercise. These sessions anchor the day in both inspiration and practical wisdom, offering a chance to pause, reflect, and refocus.

Family Mediation

The Family Mediation track brings focus to the voice of the child, diversity and inclusion, mental health, neurodivergent, and practical approaches to supporting families through complex transitions. Both tracks are designed to equip mediators with fresh new frameworks, strategies, and skills that can be applied immediately.

LIMITED TIME PRICING
12 Hours of CLE

PRESENTORS

Bob Bordone

Bob Bordone is a USA Today Best Selling Author, a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School where he also served as the Thaddeus R. Beal Clinical Professor of Law for many years, and the Founder and Principal at The Cambridge Negotiation Institute.

Bridget Mary McCormack

President and CEO of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

Susan Guthrie

Nationally recognized as one of the Top Family Law and Mediation Attorneys in the country.

Colin Rule

President and CEO of Mediate.com and ODR.com.

Clare Fowler

Executive Vice-President and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, as well as a mediator and trainer.

Beth Meyer

ADR practitioner with 15 years of work in mediation and conflict coaching, specializing in workplace and interpersonal conflict

Kristyn Carmichael

Director of the ASU Lodestar program, and is a licensed Arizona attorney and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA).

Ana Gonclaves

Lawyer, Teacher, Mediator and organizational developer, founder of Instituto de Certificação e Formação de Mediadores Lusófonos, (ICFML) Portugal and Portuguese Speaking Countries.

Tracey B. Frisch

Executive Director of the AAA-ICDR Foundation. Tracey also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Pace University Law School teaching Commercial Arbitration Law and previously served as an adjunct Professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law supervising law student mediators.

Dr. DA Graham

Ordained minister and former pastor who has served his country with distinction as a Navy Chaplain for 5 years and during the War in Iraq. In 2001, Dr. Graham received the Military Chaplains Association Chaplain of the Year Award for the United States Marine Corps.

Stephen Kotev

With a Masters degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Stephen has substantial experience in mediation, negotiation, facilitation, conflict coaching, conflict management and somatic education.

Marya Kolman

Manager of Dispute Resolution Section, Supreme Court of Ohio. She serves as an adjunct professor with the Moritz College of Law for the Interprofessional Collaboration and the Family and Divorce Mediation classes.

Alice Shikina

She is a highly experienced mediator who has successfully resolved hundreds of divorce, workplace, and family disputes. A single mother with a background in theatre and Muay Thai, she brings empathy, courage, and grit to her practice and serves as vice president of the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and chair of the Alameda County Bar Association’s ADR Committee.

Joseph Panetta

The go-to-marketer for top-tier companies, including Six Flags and Unilever. After a lifetime of successfully launching new firms, he is now sharing his creative tips with the dispute resolution field.

Chuck Doran

Chuck is a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP) and a member of the International Ombuds Association who completed ombuds training with the IOA in 1995.

Marcus Farrey

He is an accredited workplace mediator and aims to help organizations foster stronger, more connected workplace cultures and improve communication.

Kathy Gersch

Senior Executive and Board Member of Kotter Change Management with extensive expertise in transformation and growth.

Jessica Hawkins

Founder of Better Conflict, a consultancy that helps leaders and teams handle high-stakes conversations, build conflict competence, and stay steady in complex moments.

Tony Guise

Tony Guise is a solicitor with thirty years of experience in commercial litigation. For over two decades, he played a key role in civil justice reform in England and Wales, serving in multiple leadership positions and collaborating with the Ministry of Justice and Lord Justice Jackson to modernize the system through technology. In the past six years, he has focused on developing a secure platform that delivers ADR online.

Jeff Lewis

Jeff is a solicitor with more than 15 years’ experience. He was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 2001 and became a CEDR accredited mediator and a member of the CEDR Panel of Mediators in 2000.

Dan Berstein

Dan Berstein is a mediator and mental health expert living with bipolar disorder. He is the co-founder of the Dispute Resolution in Mental Health Initiative at the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center. Dan holds degrees from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Wharton School.

Jessica Williams

Founding Partner and CEO of Collaborent. Jessica began practicing conflict resolution in 2002, and she offers an array of consulting services targeted to navigate decision-making processes and enable clients to reach sustainable agreements.

Jeff Thompson, Ph.D.

Professor at Lipscomb University, researcher, mediator, and trainer. He is also involved in crisis and hostage negotiation as well as a law enforcement detective.

Michael Lang

Practicing for over 40 years, as a practitioner, educator, author, and advocate for mediation, he has been a leading voice in the profession of mediation. In October 2020 he was awarded the Outstanding Professional Family Mediator award by the Academy of Professional Family Mediators; and in 2012 he received the John Haynes award from the Association for Conflict Resolution

Jacqueline Font-Guzmán, JD, PhD

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, Equity, and Belonging at St. Catherine University. In this role, Font-Guzmán sustains and enhances an inclusive and equitable environment for work and learning at St. Catherine University.

Dr. Jamie Hall

Dually licensed school psychologist and clinical psychologist practicing in Ohio. She earned her doctorate degree from The Ohio State University School Psychology Program in 2019 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at an established private practice in Dublin, Ohio.

Lisa Parkinson M.A.

Mediator, trainer and consultant, a Vice-President of the Family Mediators Association in England and Wales, has been involved in developing family mediation since the mid 70s. Still in practice as a family mediator after nearly 40 years!

Erin Levine

Co-Founder and CEO of Hello Divorce. Erin set out to revolutionize how consumers interact with the law and provide a kinder, easier and cheaper pathway to divorce. Erin’s access to justice work has been recognized by the legal industry and beyond, with awards and recognition from the likes of Women Founders Network, TechCrunch, Vice, Forbes and the American Bar Association.