From Vision to Reality: Judge Cooke and the Birth of New York's CDRC Network

This panel brings together the visionaries and pioneers who transformed dispute resolution in New York State. Learn how Chief Justice Lawrence H. Cooke's leadership, combined with bipartisan legislative support and grassroots advocacy, created the nation's most comprehensive statewide network of Community Dispute Resolution Centers (CDRCs).



Featuring firsthand accounts from early CDRC directors Andrew Thomas and John McCullough, this session will explore both the policy vision and the on-the-ground reality of building this revolutionary network. Panelists will examine the critical factors that led to this groundbreaking initiative: court system overload, the need for community-based alternatives, and the collaborative effort between judicial leadership and local advocates.

Discover how New York became a national model by establishing CDRCs in all 62 counties, moving from 13 independent centers to a unified, state-funded network. The early directors will share stories from the formative years - the challenges of implementing a new model of justice, building community trust, training volunteer mediators, and establishing sustainable operations with innovative matching fund requirements.

The session will cover the legislative process that created the CDRC Program within the Unified Court System, the practical realities of launching centers across diverse communities, and the strategic partnerships between courts and community organizations that made it all possible.

About Chris Daly

Chris Daly, Director of Mediator Training & Quality Assurance at New York Peace Institute (NYPI), is an attorney, state-certified trainer, mediator, conflict coach & circle keeper. She loves teaching the craft of mediation, and she oversees the growth and development of New York Peace Institute’s certified mediators from the start of their training throughout their time on NYPI’s roster of neutrals. Chris leads the Basic Mediation Training and manages our competitive Apprenticeship Program, an education program for aspiring conflict resolution professionals. Prior to joining New York Peace Institute, Chris was a domestic violence prosecutor for 10 years at the District Attorney’s Office in Bronx County managing a caseload ranging from harassment to homicide cases from investigation to trial. She was also a public high school teacher in Texas. Chris has a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and a law degree from Boston College. She first learned about mediation and restorative practices in 1998 as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji, where she promoted cross-cultural understanding and earned a degree from the University of Waikato. Chris is a Leader on the Horizon at Safe Horizon, supporting the mission of empowering victims and survivors to find safety, support, connection and hope. She is also a past Director at the Association for Conflict Resolution’s Greater New York Chapter (ACR-GNY). Chris is dedicated to identifying innovative approaches to bringing people together so they can manage disagreements creatively and constructively.