Cynthia Moore President Winston, Oregon    Retired Mediator, Administrator, Trainer I founded the Coos Bay/Douglas County Community Dispute Resolution Center and was the Executive Director for ten years.  I also served on mediation rosters for Special Education, the US Postal Service, and Child Welfare and adoption. I am a founding member of Coalition of Oregon Victim Offender Mediation Programs and was appointed by Governor Kitzhaber to Oregon Dispute Resolution Commission. I provided basic mediation training and 6 hour civil mediation training for state court related programs, and was honored to have served in that capacity with Shannon Stewart as my mentor. I was the Executive Director of the Oregon Mediation Association for 2.5 years and subsequently became a board member to help ensure that the smaller, geographically diverse volunteer mediation programs continued to become an important part of OMA’s planning. I have learned that this is, and continues to be, an important and integral part of the board’s focus. Since 1999, I have been privileged to serve with many loyal and talented board and committee members. What OMA does may not be visible on a daily basis in our busy lives, but it provides the foundation upon which we all stand, and it is work that is critical to a supportive, healthy mediation community. Most of all, it is an honor to work with such enthusiastic and devoted people.

Molly Keating, MSW Vice President Portland, Oregon        Owner of Private Practice in Workplace Mediation and Facilitation (www.mollykeating.com).   For over fifteen years I have helped organizations of all sizes deal with workplace conflict. I have hundreds of hours of training in all types of mediation and conflict-related topics and I help others build these skills.   I have served OMA as a board member, committee chair, and all-around volunteer. My connections with and through OMA have been invaluable to me as I have built my practice. OMA is uniquely situated to promote ideas and ideals that I passionately believe in.

Kevin Grant Treasurer Corvallis, Oregon     Program Manager for Benton & Linn Counties Neighbor-to-Neighbor Mediation I have worked for and mediated at a community dispute resolution center since 2008. I manage the volunteer mediators and mediation programs in Benton & Linn Counties; including community, victim-offender, and small claims. I earned a degree in political science and continuously reconcile the rights-driven, adversarial and authority-seeking nature of politics with the interest-based, collaborative and participant-empowered process of mediation. At the beginning of 2010, I chose to serve on the OMA Board in order to help shape an environment conducive for mediation, to support mediators, and to promote the use of mediation throughout Oregon. OMA is important to me because the organization provides a statewide network for public, private, and volunteer mediators alike. OMA sets standards for programs and practices and is a valuable resource for the public to learn the benefits of mediation. I believe OMA is of, by, and for mediators throughout Oregon in our mutual venture of helping Oregonians find peace through collaboration.

Berry Kruijning Secretary Portland, Oregon

Scott Bellows Portland, Oregon Although I'm a “lawyer-mediator,” I was a mediator before I was a litigator and have practiced only as a neutral for the past decade. I'm trained in facilitative and transformative mediation, and am committed to collaboration, communication, and transparency. My approach to dispute resolution is to carry a large toolbox, help parties identify their own needs and interests and explore solutions rather than horse-trading, and empower them to resolve their own disputes in workable, durable ways. My practice is fairly broad and includes special education mediation for the Oregon Department of Education (ODE); litigation mediation for the Court of Appeals and federal courts; employment/workplace mediation for the Postal Service REDRESS program and EAPs; and family, commercial, construction, etc. mediation for private parties, attorneys, and government agencies. I've served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar ADR Section, am the mediator delegate to ODE’s Dispute Resolution Committee, and facilitated the Department of Justice’s workgroup that helped build Oregon's foreclosure mediation program.   I've been an OMA member since 2006. As an OMA Board member, I hope to focus on finding practical way to help OMA's members grow their practices, improve their skills, and expand our profession.

Cathy Bennett West Linn, Oregon       I have an extensive business background with a focus on communications and marketing. I am currently a graduate student at Marylhurst University in Organizational Communications. My professional goal is to consult in healthcare regarding conflict management and organizational communications. I currently operate in this capacity at Knott Street Dermatology.   My desire to serve on the board of OMA came from my ongoing desire to provide solutions to conflict in the workplace. I see OMA as the conduit between the beneficiaries of mediation and organizational systems developing to manage conflict. As as organizational player on the field of alternative dispute resolution, OMA is in a position to contribute to the emerging field of mediation as it becomes more institutionalized within the broad market mediation serves.

Brian Egan Corvallis, Oregon      Professional Mediator   I am the founder of Clarity, a private mediation, facilitation, and organizational change consulting practice now moving into its twelfth year.  I am also a volunteer mediator for Neighbor-to-Neighbor Mediation Services, and I teach writing at Linn-Benton Community College (so much for “retirement”).  The majority of my professional life was spent at Hewlett-Packard as an engineering manager, where I learned the importance of collaborative decision-making and dispute resolution in building strong teams.   My membership on the OMA board represents a way to actualize two of my core values: a heartfelt belief in mediation and a need to give back to the community through service to others.  I see OMA as the “lighthouse” for mediation in Oregon; a guiding entity for practicing mediators, and a source of information so that people statewide can know the benefit of mediation. OMA provides a cozy hearth where professional mediators and mediation-friendly people can gather and optimize the art of mediation. As a board member, I plan to contribute in a meaningful way to help build and strengthen the organization.

Glen Fahs Portland, Oregon My goals for serving on the OMA Board are to learn more about our field, contribute to the health and vibrancy of OMA and be part of a strong leadership team.   My career has progressed from continuing higher education for professionals to leading statewide training and organization development for the State of Oregon. For the past seventeen years, I have directed training and development for the Cascade Employers Association. I am the primary mediator for Cascade but my work emphasizes prevention, e.g., focusing on strengths, leadership skills, team building and becoming a great place to work.   My Board experience includes United Way, the Oregon Organization Development Network, the Oregon Ethics Commons, Willamette West Habitat for Humanity and the Oregon chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. My degrees include a B.A. in Psychology/Speech Communication, M.A. in Education/Human Relations and a Ph.D. in Adult Education/Organization Development. I have taught for a dozen colleges and universities. My strengths include strategic planning, writing, public speaking, agility/flexibility and a results orientation.

Paul Hoobyar Eugene     Public Policy Facilitator - Project Manager Owner and Principal of Watershed Initiatives, LLC     I have worked for 15 years as a facilitator and mediator in natural resource management and public policy issues for federal, state and local agencies as well as governmental entities. I am also a Project Manager for watershed and habitat restoration projects in Oregon.    OMA has been Oregon's only state-wide professional organization for ADR processes for 26 years. At this stage of my career, I want to volunteer in a meaningful way in support of collaborative processes and assist in expanding ADR opportunities in Oregon. Joining OMA's board provides that opportunity, and the much appreciated benefit of working with a stellar group of talented, committed professionals.

John Jessen West Linn, Oregon I am serving on the OMA Board of Directors because I want to move beyond my work at the Committee level and become more involved at the policy and organizational level of the Association.    I am currently serving on two OMA committees, Standards and Practices and Marketing. On the Standards and Practices Committee I have been instrumental in the initial conceptual development of an OMA Mediator Certification Program. With the Marketing Committee I have been instrumental in the development of the OMA Marketing and Product Development strategy which will lead to a more sustainable financial model for OMA in the future. I believe that my efforts to provide sustainable, long term funding for the organization in the form of products, services and grants will be my most visible contribution. There is a need to move both of these initiatives forward in a more coordinated, integrated fashion across the organization. I believe this is best done at the Board level.

Gail McEwen Salem, Oregon I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the OMA Board of Directors. My interest in mediation dates back to the 1980's. As an employee of the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, I looked for opportunities to use mediation to resolve land use and natural resource disputes and participated in mediation as an agency representative. From 2006 through 2012, I worked for Oregon Consensus at Portland State University and have managed or worked on projects that used mediation or facilitation to resolve public policy disputes.    I have a law degree from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, and have been a member of the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Section since 2009.   I am committed to promoting the use of mediation in Oregon and am excited about the possibility of serving on the OMA Board. I want to work with other OMA Board members to increase opportunities for academics, public policy mediators and mediators of private disputes to work together and share information to elevate the quality of mediation services in Oregon.

Sue Pickgrobe Portland, Oregon  I have been a mediator for 24 years, having volunteered with various programs, including the Victim Offender Reconciliation program, Neighbor to Neighbor in Salem, Community Mediation Services in Vancouver, Small Claims in Multnomah County and Resolutions Northwest. I have also been a Shared Neutrals mediator and Shared Neutrals Liaison for my federal employer for 14 years and have been involved in committee work with Shared Neutrals.  I have a private mediation practice while still working full time as a federal attorney. I am also the mom of a high school senior. I have done board work with Oregon Women Lawyers and Artists Repertory Theatre.     I love to work with and be around mediators and I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to my board service.

Amy Cleary Oregon City OMA Past President Current Member, OMA Executive Committee OMA Board Member 2008-2011     OMA is a place of camaraderie and community, and provides venues for members and partners to do important work moving mediation forward in the state of Oregon. I had been an OMA member for some years before I was invited to join the Board of Directors. I accepted the invitation with the interests of giving back to OMA, and enhancing professional relationships with OMA leaders. My experience working with community mediation programs around the state, the UO Law School Oregon Office for Community Dispute Resolution Centers, and the PSU Oregon Consensus program provided a strong basis for partnership with other organizations and collaboration among OMA members. The experience of serving on the OMA Board has been an important step in my own personal and professional development. I hope to continue to contribute to the organization in ways that support OMA as the vital core of a vibrant statewide mediation and dispute resolution community.

 OMA Executive Director: Open as of February 1, 2013 
OMA Interim Administrative Assistant  - Claire Gunst