Taking Stock: ADR from 1985 to 2025 

Join us for a reflective and inspiring journey through four decades of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in New York State. "Walk Down Memory Lane" will celebrate the 40-year legacy of ADR's advancement across the state, highlighting key milestones in shaping policy, fostering innovation, and supporting the growth of the ADR field.

Through stories, milestones, and shared memories, this panel will explore how ADR has been championed in communities, institutions, and systems statewide. The session will honor the contributions of those who built the foundation of ADR in New York while reflecting on the field's evolution and enduring relevance today.

The conversation will be facilitated by Maria Volpe, Ph.D., a renowned scholar and practitioner in the field of conflict resolution. Dr. Volpe will guide a dynamic discussion among long-time leaders, innovators, and advocates who have helped shape ADR’s past and continue to influence its future. Don’t miss this opportunity to look back, celebrate progress, and envision the road ahead for ADR in New York and beyond!

About Maria Volpe

Maria R. Volpe, Ph.D. is a Professor of Sociology, Director of the Dispute Resolution Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice - City University of New York, and Director of the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center, a university-wide center focusing on dispute resolution research and innovative program development. An internationally known scholar, Dr. Volpe has lectured, researched, and written extensively about dispute resolution processes, particularly mediation, and has been widely recognized for her distinguished career in the field of dispute resolution and received many awards. She mediates conflicts in educational settings, conducts dispute resolution skills training, facilitates for a wide range of groups and administers grant-funded projects. Her research has focused on police use of mediation, conflict resolution in higher education, dispute resolution responses to disasters and crises since 9/11, the role of religion in Kurdish-Turkish reconciliation, roots of diversity in the dispute resolution field, and barriers to minority participation in dispute resolution.