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ALBANY, NY - The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA), a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advancing peaceful conflict resolution and equitable access to justice, is pleased to announce its Board of Directors for 2026. The board brings together a diverse group of leaders from community mediation, conflict transformation, nonprofit management, and professional practice to support NYSDRA’s mission and strategic vision.

Leading the board as President is Shira May, Ph.D., who serves as the President and CEO at the Center for Dispute Settlement, a community dispute resolution center (CDRC) serving the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. A former SafeZone trainer, Shira provides organizations with training and consultation focusing on restorative practices, implicit bias, conflict skills, and the power of dialogue.

Serving as Vice President is Love Odih-Kumuyi, Esq., Founder and CEO of Unsiloed. Odih-Kumuyi is a peacebuilding and conflict transformation practitioner whose global and academic experience includes leadership roles at Cornell University and service as a mediation professor at NYU.

Gina Tinker-Williams, BFA, serves as Secretary. Executive Director of the Community Dispute Resolution Center, Tinker-Williams has mediated, conflict coached and facilitated multi-party cases in a wide variety of settings, provides mediator & conflict resolution skills trainings and is a coach for conflict coaching training on local, and state levels.

Bruce Sussman, CPA, CISA, CISSP, PCI-ISA, CIPP | IT, has been elected to serve as Treasurer. A PCI Global Executive at American International Group (AIG), Sussman leads global compliance efforts across 31 countries with $35M budget responsibility. His career includes senior leadership positions at Wyndham, Crowe Horwath, and Ernst & Young. He serves as Board Committee Chair for the AICPA and New York Society of CPAs’ Risk Assurance and Cyber Risk Committees and holds a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Certificate from NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

The board also includes distinguished members whose backgrounds span nonprofit leadership, community service, and ADR practice:

Jonathan Murray, MBA, is the immediate past Board President and is the Chief Financial Officer at Prestige Hospitality Group.

Denise Ellison, M.A., is a CDRC mediator whose experience includes tenure as a Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs, NYS Division of Human Rights.

John Harrison, MSW, is the Chief Executive Officer with Community Mediation Services, Inc. and has served in the capacity of Program Director, Director of Youth Development and Entrepreneurial Services, and Sr. Associate Executive Director.

Kim Reisch, Esq. is a retired attorney and retired staff member at the Center for Dispute Settlement with 30+ years of experience who continues to mediate Community, Custody and Visitation, Divorce, Agricultural and Special Education cases.

Alison Ritchie, B.A., a longtime ADR advocate and former NYSDRA staff member, is President of New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), becoming the fifth person to hold this position in the organization's 38-year history.

Niki Lee Rowe, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor and mediator who serves as a Lemon Law and Attorney Fee arbitrator. Rowe is a nationally published author on abuse in long-term facilities.

Will Sawma, B.A., J.D., is a mediator, volunteer, coordinator, and is formerly the Director for the Dispute Resolution Center of Catholic Charities.

Gregg A. Scheiner, MBA, M.S., has served as a trainer and mediator for the Long Island Dispute Resolution Center (LIDRC) for over a decade, providing in-service training for LIDRC mediators on culture and its impact on the mediation process.

Bernadette Tracy, Ed.D., a past board president, is an organizational and personal consultant/coach, mediator, and facilitator/trainer with experience in higher education, corporate America, state/federal governments, and community organization development.

“We are fortunate to be guided by such a talented and committed board,” said NYSDRA Executive Director Theresa Hobbs. “Their collective experience and dedication strengthen NYSDRA’s ability to support high-quality mediation services, foster collaboration, and expand access to justice throughout New York State.”

The NYSDRA Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and leadership for the organization’s initiatives, including professional development, statewide ADR collaboration, and support for the Community Dispute Resolution Centers serving all 62 counties.

ALBANY, NY - The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) is proud to announce that Theresa Hobbs, J.D., MBA, LPEC, Executive Director, has been named the 2025 David Brandon Community Mediation Regional Catalyst by the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM).

This prestigious national honor recognizes individuals whose leadership has significantly advanced community mediation and strengthened access to justice. Hobbs joins Renata Valree (2023) and Cherise D. Hairston (2024) as recipients of the award.

Under Director Hobbs’ leadership, NYSDRA has achieved a series of unprecedented accomplishments, including coordinating a statewide advocacy campaign with Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) leadership and key stakeholders that secured a $3 million increase in state funding for New York ADR programs—the largest single-year funding increase in state history. This effort restored CDRC funding to above pre-COVID levels, with allocation increases of 30–40 percent for many centers.

Director Hobbs has also expanded the value and reach of all NYSDRA contract programs, strengthened statewide service capacity, and led the organization through record financial performance alongside a comprehensive digital transformation. She established an elite Advisory Board chaired by Hon. Lawrence K. Marks, former Chief Administrative Judge of the New York State Unified Court System, further strengthening strategic leadership and statewide collaboration.

Additional initiatives under Director Hobbs’ tenure include redesigning the AmeriCorps Community Mediation Service Corps to align with the statewide CDRC network and support capacity building through stipends for volunteer mediators; bringing together state partners and stakeholders to reimagine Special Education Mediation in New York; authoring the successful proposal for an expanded statewide contract; and assembling the team now leading the New York State Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC).

Director Hobbs also successfully negotiated with the New York State Attorney General’s Office to provide stipends to arbitrators in the NYS Lemon Law Arbitration Program, launched statewide digital marketing initiatives, and led NYSDRA’s 40th Anniversary Conference, honoring the founders who made New York the first state in the nation to establish community mediation.

According to NAFCM, Director Hobbs was selected in recognition of her transformative, collaborative leadership and her measurable impact across New York State’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) landscape, “building a regenerative ecosystem of justice, compassion, and community healing.”

ALBANY, NY - The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) celebrated its 40th anniversary with its 2025 Legacy Conference on September 25 - 26, a two-day hybrid event featuring 20+ workshops and keynote addresses that drew over 250 dispute resolution professionals, court partners, and community advocates from across New York State.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the 2025 Lawrence H. Cooke Peace Innovator Award to John S. Kiernan, Esq., Co-Chair of the NYS Advisory Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, during a celebration dinner at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. Honored guests included members of Chief Judge Cooke’s family — his children George L. Cooke II, Edward Cooke, and Lauren Opie; grandson Lawrence Cooke; nephew Vince McCardle, former Corporate Counsel, City of Albany; nephew Dr Christian Mathiesen, former Saratoga Commissioner of Public Safety; and niece MaryEllen Mathiesen-Tyrrell — along with distinguished leaders such as Hon. Joseph E. Lamendola, New York State Supreme Court Justice; Hon. Meagan Galligan, New York State Supreme Court Justice; Hon. William T. Little, Acting Supreme Court Justice; Assistant Attorney Melvin Goldberg of the Consumer Frauds & Protection Bureau; Kris Manzur, Lemon Law Coordinator at the Consumer Frauds & Protection Bureau; Daniel Kos, Statewide ADR Coordinator; and Christy Bass, Director of Human Resources for the New York State Unified Court System.

During the program, NYSDRA Executive Director Theresa Hobbs announced the creation of the Lawrence H. Cooke Dispute Resolution Legacy Fund, a permanent endowment that will ensure financial barriers never prevent New Yorkers from accessing mediation, restorative practices, or conflict resolution services. The fund aims to raise $1.5 million over the next three years, with an official campaign launch on December 1, 2025.

“Reaching our 40th anniversary allowed us to honor our past while renewing our commitment to innovation and collaboration," said Hobbs. "The Lawrence H. Cooke Dispute Resolution Legacy Fund will carry Judge Cooke's legacy forward in a way that changes lives for generations to come.”

Speaking on behalf of the Cooke family, George L. Cooke II reflected on his father's enduring influence, “My father believed deeply that justice must be both fair and humane, and that resolving conflict peacefully was essential to strengthening our communities. Seeing his legacy carried forward through this award, this fund, and leaders like John Kiernan is a profound reminder that his vision continues to inspire and make a difference in New York today.”

NEW YORK –Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas and First Deputy Chief 

Administrative Judge Norman St. George today announced the appointment of Lisa 

Courtney as Director of the Office of Court Administration’s (OCA) newly formed Division of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which will work to further the Unified Court System’s efforts to significantly expand the development and use of ADR programs, online tools, and other resources to better meet the justice needs of New Yorkers statewide.  

ADR refers to the alternative ways people can peacefully resolve disputes and conflicts without a trial. Common ADR processes include mediation, neutral evaluation, arbitration, Community Dispute Resolution Centers, and settlement conferences, which 

are generally confidential, less formal, and less trying than traditional court proceedings. Mediation and other forms of ADR have proven meaningful, efficient, and cost effective in resolving a range of disputes, from small claims to business matters to family conflicts, among others.  

In her new capacity, Ms. Courtney, working with the judicial leadership and the Unified 

Court System’s justices, judges, non-judicial personnel, and stakeholders, will lead a team of professional staff in carrying out the Division’s mandate to advance the utilization of mediation and other forms of ADR, as appropriate, in courts statewide.  As Director, she will be responsible for leading all ADR programs and committees, working with the Deputy Chief Administrative Judges, Administrative Judges, the Chief Judge’s 

Advisory Committee on ADR, and regional and local ADR coordinators, among others, 

to develop, implement, and monitor court-sponsored ADR programs, which provide free  or reduced-fee mediation and other ADR services in family, civil, and other matters. In addition to her other duties, she will provide and monitor ADR training of court staff and  members of the bar who serve in court programs; oversee the statewide network of Community Dispute Resolution Centers, which offer dialogue and ADR services to individuals, families, and communities in family, housing, contractual and other disputes; 

develop and implement ADR initiatives, policies, and best practices; work to expand online tools and other ADR resources; and oversee data collection and reporting. 

“ADR offers parties an opportunity to be more fully heard, helping them reach mutually acceptable, longer-lasting outcomes. Expanding and refining the court system’s ADR services and online tools is essential to our ongoing efforts to improve the delivery and quality of justice for all New Yorkers, regardless of income, background, or need,” said Chief Administrative Judge Zayas. “That is why I am so pleased to announce the launch 

of the new Division of ADR, with Lisa Courtney at its helm. Lisa brings an abundance of knowledge, experience, and passion to her new role and, having distinguished herself in her former post as the court system’s Statewide ADR Coordinator, is uniquely qualified 

to assume the multiple demands and challenges of this critically important assignment. I look forward to our working together, along with the court system’s leadership team, judges, non-judicial personnel, and stakeholders, to optimize the use of ADR in more effectively addressing the justice needs of New Yorkers throughout the State’s 62 

counties.”

“Lisa Courtney has spent much of her professional life initiating programs to reduce barriers to justice and enhance the operational efficiency of the New York State Courts, from training volunteer attorneys to serve in the court system’s Help Centers, to implementing mediation pilot programs, to crafting ADR program rules, to her efforts to recruit, train, and retain individuals who reflect New York’s rich diversity to serve as mediators and ADR trainers,” said First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge St. George. 

“Not only is Lisa well-versed in all forms of ADR, she’s also an effective leader, 

collaborator, and communicator, qualities that will benefit the Division, the court system, and those individuals and families served by the courts.” 

“I am honored and excited to continue the work of making ADR, and, in particular, high quality mediation, more accessible throughout New York State, together with our judicial and non-judicial leaders, dedicated regional and local ADR coordinators, and ADR staff. I am grateful to the judicial leadership team for their vision and commitment to advancing ADR in our courts and communities, so we can offer litigants a greater voice in the resolution of their disputes, and provide more effective, comprehensive justice,” 

said Lisa Courtney.    

Lisa Courtney has been serving as OCA’s Statewide ADR Coordinator, leading the ADR Office staff and advising trial courts on ADR program development, drafting ADR program rules and protocols, overseeing ADR training, and recruiting mediators and ADR trainers, along with her other responsibilities. Previously, from 2007 to 2017, she worked as Special Projects Counsel for OCA’s ADR Office, where she mediated court referred divorce and parenting disputes, trained legal services providers in mediation,  

implemented Family Court and Supreme Court early mediation pilot programs, and 

recruited and trained attorneys, mental health professionals, and others in collaborative practice for the court system’s Collaborative Family Law Center, which offered free divorce mediation services in appropriate cases to reduce the pain, trauma, and expense of divorce on families. Before that, she served briefly as an instructor at Brooklyn Law School, teaching legal writing and research to first-year law students.  

Ms. Courtney first joined the court system in 2001 as a senior court attorney in the 

Housing Part of the Civil Court of the City of New York, conducting conferences, drafting agreements and decisions, and supervising student interns, among other duties. She later oversaw the Civil Court’s Volunteer Lawyer’s Program, Help Centers, Community Seminars, and Mediation Program. She began her legal career as a litigation associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, LLP in New York City.  

Ms. Courtney is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She is a former co-chair of the New York Women’s Bar Association’s ADR Committee and the recipient of the NY Peace Institute’s 2019 Peace Raiser Award.   

Her appointment is effective March 14, 2024.

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA), a non-profit organization that serves as the statewide association for professionals and organizations involved in dispute resolution and conflict management announced the establishment of its inaugural Advisory Board. This new board, consisting of five appointed members skilled in various cross-sections of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), marks a pivotal step forward for NYSDRA in its pursuit of excellence and innovation in the field of ADR. Comprised of esteemed leaders and highly accomplished individuals who bring a wealth of expertise from diverse sectors, the Advisory Board will provide NYSDRA with valuable research, grounded knowledge, and objective insights in a wide range of areas, advancing its impact on and vision for the field of ADR. 

The Advisory Board will be chaired by the Honorable Lawrence Marks, former Chief Administrative Judge of New York State. As Chief Administrative Judge, he oversaw the day-to-day operation of the statewide court system, with a budget of over $3 billion, and more than 16,000 judges and nonjudicial employees in over 300 locations across the state. Retiring in 2022, Marks brings over 30 years of key management, policy, and legal experience in the court system to his presiding seat on the Advisory Board. 

Advisory Board Chair, Judge Marks said , “NYSDRA provides invaluable services to New Yorkers across the state in resolving conflicts outside of the traditional courtroom process and, more generally, in advocating for increased and more effective use of ADR. ADR plays a critical role in resolving a wide range of disputes and there is a real need to expand and strengthen that role in the years to come. I am so pleased to chair this new Advisory Board and work together to support and grow NYSDRA’s vital participation in these efforts.” 

The Advisory Board’s additional members include T. Andrew Brown , past president of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and former Vice-Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents; Courtney Bryan , Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Justice Innovation; Ross Kartez, past Chair of the State Bar’s Dispute Resolution section; and Dr. Maria Volpe , professor of sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Director of the Dispute Resolution Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). Each member brings a depth of expertise in dispute resolution, justice-centered work, and court-related processes to the Advisory Board. 

NYSDRA Board of Directors President, Dr. Bernie Tracy, said , “The Advisory Board brings together a dynamic group of thought leaders who share NYSDRA's dedication to promoting alternative dispute resolution methods. With their support, we are poised to create innovative solutions that advance justice and equity. I am proud of all that NYSDRA has achieved since its inception and with the Advisory Board, chaired by Judge Marks, I am confident that we can build upon this work to serve more New Yorkers in the future.” 

NYSDRA Executive Director, Theresa Hobbs, expressed her enthusiasm for the newly formed advisory board, stating, “The establishment of our Advisory Board marks an exciting milestone for NYSDRA and serves as a testament to NYSDRA's commitment to advancing innovative and effective dispute resolution practices across the state. We are honored to have Judge Marks and this exceptional group of individuals join us in shaping the future of dispute resolution in New York State. Their insights and guidance will be invaluable as we seek to expand our impact and reach, while elevating the important work of our programs and partners. I look forward to working with the Advisory Board in the months and years ahead as we reinvigorate our efforts to empower and support individuals, organizations, and communities to effectively manage and resolve conflict.” 

The announcement of the Advisory Board comes after another successful year of NYSDRA managing state and federal programs in partnership with its member network of 20 Community Dispute Resolution Centers (CDRCs) serving all 62 New York State counties. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, NYSDRA provided community legal education to over 330,000 individuals and 53,499 individuals were served by the CDRC network (over 30,000 of which were direct court referrals from judicial districts). The Advisory Board will play an integral role, collaborating closely with NYSDRA's leadership to develop strategic initiatives, foster partnerships, and provide guidance on emerging trends in dispute resolution.