About John McCullough

John McCullough represents the intersection of grassroots social activism and community mediation, bringing a unique perspective shaped by the civil rights movement, anti-war activism, and second-wave feminism to the founding of New Justice Services in Syracuse.

As a graduate student in the non-violence program at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, McCullough was studying social movements and social change strategies when he discovered the emerging community mediation field. His academic focus on non-violent conflict resolution aligned with practical applications he observed at early programs like Andrew Thomas's Center for Dispute Settlement and George Nicolaou's work with IMCR.

McCullough became a founding board member of the Syracuse center in 1979, emerging from a November 15 organizational meeting where the Junior League was exploring alternatives to incarceration. His social justice background informed his understanding that minor criminal matters disproportionately impacted poor and African American communities, where a Friday arrest could lead to job loss and economic devastation.

After serving as Chair of the Training Committee and hiring Andrew Thomas to conduct the center's first mediator training, McCullough became Executive Director of New Justice Services in 1983, a position he continues to hold today. His approach to mediation was explicitly political and community-focused, viewing the center's role as helping grassroots organizations achieve their goals while protecting people from the potential harm of prolonged court involvement.

Under McCullough's leadership, New Justice Services developed innovative programming that reflected his social justice orientation, including work with the Governor's Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, organizing Juneteenth celebrations, facilitating community arts programming, and supporting grassroots movements. His philosophy emphasized that help should be offered only when invited, reflecting the mediator principle of party self-determination on a community scale.

A NYS-certified Mediation Skills Trainer since 1981, McCullough has mediated hundreds of cases involving people from all walks of life throughout Central New York. His background in parliamentary procedure and organizational development, learned from the Junior League board members who founded the center, helped him build a sustainable administrative structure while maintaining the organization's commitment to meaningful social action.



McCullough received the Lawrence Cook Peace Innovator Award from the New York State Dispute Resolution Association in 2012 and currently serves as a member of the NYS Unified Court System's Statewide Advisory Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution. His approach has demonstrated how community mediation centers can serve as catalysts for broader social change while maintaining their core mission of conflict resolution.