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New York State Dispute Resolution Association -NYSDRA

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New York State Dispute Resolution Association -NYSDRA

NYSDRA is a statewide association of mediators and 20 Community Dispute Resolution Centers.

03/12/2026

🎉 It’s AmeriCorps Week — and we’re shouting out our AMAZING CMSC Members! 🎉

Our members go above and beyond, supporting conflict resolution services, uplifting families, strengthening youth programs, and helping CDRCs grow stronger every day.

For MLK Day of Service, they poured their hearts into creating Dream Kits for youth — kits designed to spark empowerment, inspire big dreams, and encourage young people to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy of courage, hope, and justice. ❤️

And the feedback from host sites says it all:

💬 “A rising star — professional, organized, skilled, and always bringing humor and positivity.”

💬 “Their commitment as a co-trainer has helped young mediators grow in confidence and skill.”

💬 “They are exceptionally pleasant to work with and always eager to learn more.”

💬 “They speak with empathy, ask thoughtful questions, and continuously strive to improve our services.”

💬 “A true capacity-building asset to our center.”

Our CDRCs and Host Sites do incredible work — and our AmeriCorps members make that effort even stronger. Together, they build peaceful, resilient communities across New York.

💙 We are so proud of each and every one of our members. Thank you for all that you do!

03/10/2026

🎉 Happy AmeriCorps Week! 🎉
Today we’re shining a spotlight on our Community Mediation Service Corps (CMSC) and the incredible AmeriCorps members who make this work possible. CMSC is an AmeriCorps State and National program of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA).

CMSC members help strengthen community mediation programs across New York by supporting conflict resolution services, assisting families, empowering youth, expanding outreach, and helping mediation centers grow their capacity behind the scenes. Their service ensures that more people can access peaceful, supportive options during moments of conflict.

We’re so grateful for their dedication and so proud of the work they do.
💙 Thank you for serving our communities and helping create a more peaceful New York.

01/26/2026

🏆 Celebrating National Recognition! 🏆
We're proud to announce that NYSDRA Executive Director Theresa Hobbs, J.D., MBA, LPEC has been named the 2025 David Brandon Community Mediation Regional Catalyst by the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM)! Theresa joins Renata Valree (2023) and Cherise D. Hairston (2024) in this national honor.
This prestigious award recognizes Theresa's transformative leadership. Examples of her impact include:
💰 Coordinating a statewide advocacy campaign with CDRC leadership and key stakeholders that secured a $3 million budget increase for NY ADR programs—the largest single-year increase in state history. This collaborative victory returned CDRCs to above pre-COVID funding levels with 30-40% allocation increases
📊 Expanding all NYSDRA contract programs in both value and reach, strengthening statewide service capacity
📈 Achieving record financial performance while leading comprehensive digital transformation at NYSDRA
🎯 Establishing an elite Advisory Board chaired by Hon. Lawrence K. Marks, former Chief Administrative Judge of NYS Courts
✨ Redesigning the AmeriCorps Community Mediation Service Corps to align with the statewide CDRC network, supporting capacity building by providing stipends to volunteer mediators
⚖️ Bringing together stakeholders and state partners to reimagine Special Education Mediation in NY, authoring the winning proposal for the expanded statewide contract, and assembling the talented team now leading the NYS Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC)
🤝 Successfully negotiating with the NYS Attorney General's Office to provide stipends to arbitrators under the NYS Lemon Law Arbitration Program
🎓 Leading NYSDRA's 40th Anniversary Conference, honoring the founders who made New York the first state in the nation to establish community mediation
📢 Launching statewide digital marketing initiatives..and much more!
Her deeply collaborative approach has built what NAFCM calls "a regenerative ecosystem of justice, compassion, and community healing" across New York State.
This national honor reflects Theresa's visionary leadership and the strength of the entire CDRC network! Congratulations, Theresa! 👏🎉

10/20/2025

📣 FREE VIRTUAL TRAINING – Special Education Mediation for Families
🗓 October 21, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
💻 Virtual (Link provided upon registration)

The Mid-State Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center at Syracuse University is hosting a free virtual training designed to help parents, caregivers, and school representatives learn how to work through differences collaboratively using special education mediation.

Participants will gain insights into:
✅ The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
✅ Options for resolving disputes under IDEA
✅ Special education mediation procedures available through NYSED

This program is sponsored and presented by the Mid-State FACE Center.
The Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC), managed by NYSDRA, and New Justice Conflict Resolution Services have been invited to participate and will be in attendance.

✨ Registration is free and required!

Register via Frontline (for CTLE credit): https://bit.ly/47rgeJJ

Register via Google Form (no CTLE credit): https://bit.ly/4d3VYPu

📩 For questions, contact: [email protected]

☎️ 315-443-4352

10/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2025 NYSDRA Legacy Conference—virtually and in Albany, as we celebrated 40 years of advancing access to justice through ADR. We are grateful for the passionate speakers, dedicated practitioners, our members and community advocates who helped us reflect, celebrate, and advance our shared vision for conflict resolution in New York State.

Special appreciation to our keynote presenters - Dr. Sukhsimran Singh, Robert Baruch Bush, and Dan Kos, and the Lawrence H. Cooke Peace Innovator honoree – John Kiernan, Esq. – for inspiring meaningful dialogue and reaffirming the ongoing impact of ADR. Together, we explored new ideas, honored changemakers, and strengthened connections to support equitable and peaceful resolutions for all New Yorkers.
We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to innovate, collaborate, and deliver on NYSDRA’s mission for decades to come.

Theresa Hobbs, J.D., M.B.A., LPEC
Executive Director
NYSDRA

09/24/2025

🌟 Day 1 of the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025 starts tomorrow with two essential sessions exploring how mediation supports families and strengthens justice in New York State.

Navigating Mediation Rosters: A Practitioner’s Guide (CLE)
📅 September 25 | 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM ET

Bridget O’Connell, Esq., Court Attorney Referee and ADR Coordinator, and Krysta Hartley, Esq., Assistant Deputy Counsel for the NYS Unified Court System’s Division of ADR, will guide attendees through the framework for court-annexed mediation in NYS.

This session provides a clear overview of the roster application process, the role of roster mediators, and how rosters support just, fair, and timely resolution of disputes. Attendees will gain insight into current programs, accessibility, and strategies for sustainability and diversity.

When Child Welfare Cases Stall: The Role of Mediation
📅 September 25 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

Suzanne K. Shafer, Assistant Director for the Child Welfare and Family Justice Division in the Office for Justice Initiatives, will highlight the NYS Child Permanency Mediation (CPM) Program.

Participants will explore how CPM helps “unstick” cases in Article 10 proceedings, creating space for solution-focused dialogue, and improving timeliness to permanency for children.

📅 Conference Dates

September 25, 2025 (Virtual)

September 26, 2025 (Virtual)

👉 Register here: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

09/24/2025

We’re delighted to feature Robert A. Baruch Bush, J.D., Rains Distinguished Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University; Co-Founder and Board Member, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, as our Afternoon Keynote Speaker for the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025.

Keynote: The Moral Dimension of Mediation: Celebrating my Friend and Colleague Len Riskin

📅 September 25, 2025 | 2:15 – 3:15 PM ET (Virtual)
Mediation is more than conflict resolution—it’s a chance for “moral growth.” Join Robert Baruch Bush as he reflects on lessons from Len Riskin and explores decades of transformative mediation, where parties find their “best selves” even in the hardest moments.

📅 Conference Dates
September 25, 2025 (Virtual)

September 26, 2025 (Virtual or In-person, Albany NY — Crowne Plaza/Desmond Hotel)

✨ Join us for two days of connection, insight, and growth with leaders in the field of dispute resolution!
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eVncGJs4

09/22/2025

This Thursday join us at the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025 for “Maintaining Balance: Supporting Collaboration in Attorney-Mediated Cases” with Bobbie L. Dillon, MS and Shari Greenleaf from SEDRC - NYS Special Education Dispute Resolution Center.

The customary practices for creating consensus, repairing relationships and fostering peace-building in meetings or mediations can be challenged when a participant brings an attorney or advocate unfamiliar with mediation principles to the session.

In these situations, how can community mediators and facilitators of special education meetings remain grounded in self-determination and process integrity? This discussion explores the reasons some legal or advocacy representatives may take a more assertive approach, how pre-mediation intake can help align expectations, and what strategies a mediator can use to maintain a constructive, balanced dialogue—even in the face of challenging dynamics.

🗓️ September 25, 2025

⏰ 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

💻 Virtual

Register: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

09/19/2025

🌟 A Legacy 40 Years in the Making 🌟

At the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025, we'll be sharing exciting news that honors the transformative vision of Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke (1914–2000).

Chief Judge Cooke was instrumental in creating New York's Community Dispute Resolution Centers (CDRCs) program — the first statewide network of its kind in the U.S. His leadership in the late 1970s and early 1980s transformed how our state approaches conflict resolution, championing the belief that "justice should be the right of everyone, not just the privileged."

Join us as we celebrate 40 years of community-based dispute resolution and announce how his innovative spirit will continue shaping New York's justice system for generations to come.

📅 Conference Dates

September 25, 2025 (Virtual)

September 26, 2025 (Virtual or In-person, Albany, NY)

🔗 Register now: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

09/18/2025

🌟 Thank You to Our Sponsors! 🌟

The countdown is on—next week marks the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025! Join us virtually on September 25–26 for two impactful days advancing the field of dispute resolution.

We are deeply grateful to our incredible sponsors and supporters. Your commitment brings innovation, expertise, and access to justice to the forefront, and your support makes this event possible.

Special thanks to:
CLUSTER Community Services • New York State Department of Health • Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York | Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York • Center for Justice Innovation • Sinclair, Inc. Broadcasting Group • New York State Agricultural Mediation Program • New York Center for Interpersonal Development NYCID • JAMS • DAPOM Digital • ADR Notable • Fisher Law Practice, P.C. • Council Services Plus • Jedi Ark Corp. • New York State Council on Divorce Mediation • Empire Justice Center • Stewart's Shops Corp • Fullness of Joy Photography • The Ray Corollary Initiative • New Justice Conflict Resolution Services, Inc., Inc. • Community Mediation Services - NYC • Mediation MattersMediation Matters • Unsiloed

👉 Register here: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

09/17/2025

🌟 NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025 opens Thursday, September 25 with two powerful virtual sessions focused on innovation, equity, and community impact in ADR:

🕙 10:00–11:00 AM ET
Restorative Justice in Action
Community-Based Programs for Lasting Change with Kailani Capote, Manager of Youth Programs at New York Peace Institute (NYPI)

This session explores how NYPI applies Restorative Practices to support New Yorkers through intentional training, restorative circles, coaching, outreach, and volunteer engagement.

✅ Walk away with practical tools and creative strategies to apply in your own work — plus insights into how these models can be adapted and scaled nationwide.

🕚 11:15 AM–12:15 PM ET
Community Resilience Through ADR
The CDRC Model (CLE Credits) with Courtney Chicvak, Esq., Program Director of ADR at Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers (LIDRC)

This session explores how ADR programs can take a proactive approach to community resilience by adapting small claims, housing, family, and community mediation services to meet the demands of a changing environment.

✅ You'll explore anticipated case types — from post-storm property disputes to custody challenges tied to displacement — and gain strategies for revising intake forms, designing resilient systems, and training climate-informed mediators.

📅 Conference Dates
Sept 25 (Virtual)
Sept 26 (Virtual or In-person, Albany NY – Crowne Plaza/Desmond Hotel)

✅ CLE credits available

⚠️ Today is the final day to register for in-person attendance

🔗 Register now: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

Address

300 Great Oaks Boulevard, Suite 300/027
Albany, NY
12203

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15186872240

Website

http://www.nysdra.org/

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New York State Dispute Resolution Association -NYSDRA

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