New York State Dispute Resolution Association -NYSDRA

🏆 Celebrating National Recognition! 🏆
We're proud to announce that NYSDRA Executive Director Theresa Hobbs, J.D., MBA, LPEC has been named the 2025 David Brandon Community Mediation Regional Catalyst by the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM)! Theresa joins Renata Valree (2023) and Cherise D. Hairston (2024) in this national honor.
This prestigious award recognizes Theresa's transformative leadership. Examples of her impact include:
💰 Coordinating a statewide advocacy campaign with CDRC leadership and key stakeholders that secured a $3 million budget increase for NY ADR programs—the largest single-year increase in state history. This collaborative victory returned CDRCs to above pre-COVID funding levels with 30-40% allocation increases
📊 Expanding all NYSDRA contract programs in both value and reach, strengthening statewide service capacity
📈 Achieving record financial performance while leading comprehensive digital transformation at NYSDRA
🎯 Establishing an elite Advisory Board chaired by Hon. Lawrence K. Marks, former Chief Administrative Judge of NYS Courts
✨ Redesigning the AmeriCorps Community Mediation Service Corps to align with the statewide CDRC network, supporting capacity building by providing stipends to volunteer mediators
⚖️ Bringing together stakeholders and state partners to reimagine Special Education Mediation in NY, authoring the winning proposal for the expanded statewide contract, and assembling the talented team now leading the NYS Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC)
🤝 Successfully negotiating with the NYS Attorney General's Office to provide stipends to arbitrators under the NYS Lemon Law Arbitration Program
🎓 Leading NYSDRA's 40th Anniversary Conference, honoring the founders who made New York the first state in the nation to establish community mediation
📢 Launching statewide digital marketing initiatives..and much more!
Her deeply collaborative approach has built what NAFCM calls "a regenerative ecosystem of justice, compassion, and community healing" across New York State.
This national honor reflects Theresa's visionary leadership and the strength of the entire CDRC network! Congratulations, Theresa! 👏🎉

📣 FREE VIRTUAL TRAINING – Special Education Mediation for Families
🗓 October 21, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
💻 Virtual (Link provided upon registration)

The Mid-State Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center at Syracuse University is hosting a free virtual training designed to help parents, caregivers, and school representatives learn how to work through differences collaboratively using special education mediation.

Participants will gain insights into:
✅ The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
✅ Options for resolving disputes under IDEA
✅ Special education mediation procedures available through NYSED

This program is sponsored and presented by the Mid-State FACE Center.
The Special Education Dispute Resolution Center (SEDRC), managed by NYSDRA, and New Justice Conflict Resolution Services have been invited to participate and will be in attendance.

✨ Registration is free and required!

Register via Frontline (for CTLE credit): https://bit.ly/47rgeJJ

Register via Google Form (no CTLE credit): https://bit.ly/4d3VYPu

📩 For questions, contact: [email protected]

☎️ 315-443-4352

This Thursday join us at the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025 for “Maintaining Balance: Supporting Collaboration in Attorney-Mediated Cases” with Bobbie L. Dillon, MS and Shari Greenleaf from SEDRC - NYS Special Education Dispute Resolution Center.

The customary practices for creating consensus, repairing relationships and fostering peace-building in meetings or mediations can be challenged when a participant brings an attorney or advocate unfamiliar with mediation principles to the session.

In these situations, how can community mediators and facilitators of special education meetings remain grounded in self-determination and process integrity? This discussion explores the reasons some legal or advocacy representatives may take a more assertive approach, how pre-mediation intake can help align expectations, and what strategies a mediator can use to maintain a constructive, balanced dialogue—even in the face of challenging dynamics.

🗓️ September 25, 2025

⏰ 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

💻 Virtual

Register: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

🌟 Thank You to Our Sponsors! 🌟

The countdown is on—next week marks the NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025! Join us virtually on September 25–26 for two impactful days advancing the field of dispute resolution.

We are deeply grateful to our incredible sponsors and supporters. Your commitment brings innovation, expertise, and access to justice to the forefront, and your support makes this event possible.

Special thanks to:
CLUSTER Community Services • New York State Department of Health • Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York | Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York • Center for Justice Innovation • Sinclair, Inc. Broadcasting Group • New York State Agricultural Mediation Program • New York Center for Interpersonal Development NYCID • JAMS • DAPOM Digital • ADR Notable • Fisher Law Practice, P.C. • Council Services Plus • Jedi Ark Corp. • New York State Council on Divorce Mediation • Empire Justice Center • Stewart's Shops Corp • Fullness of Joy Photography • The Ray Corollary Initiative • New Justice Conflict Resolution Services, Inc., Inc. • Community Mediation Services - NYC • Mediation MattersMediation Matters • Unsiloed

👉 Register here: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025

🌟 NYSDRA Legacy Conference 2025 opens Thursday, September 25 with two powerful virtual sessions focused on innovation, equity, and community impact in ADR:

🕙 10:00–11:00 AM ET
Restorative Justice in Action
Community-Based Programs for Lasting Change with Kailani Capote, Manager of Youth Programs at New York Peace Institute (NYPI)

This session explores how NYPI applies Restorative Practices to support New Yorkers through intentional training, restorative circles, coaching, outreach, and volunteer engagement.

✅ Walk away with practical tools and creative strategies to apply in your own work — plus insights into how these models can be adapted and scaled nationwide.

🕚 11:15 AM–12:15 PM ET
Community Resilience Through ADR
The CDRC Model (CLE Credits) with Courtney Chicvak, Esq., Program Director of ADR at Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers (LIDRC)

This session explores how ADR programs can take a proactive approach to community resilience by adapting small claims, housing, family, and community mediation services to meet the demands of a changing environment.

✅ You'll explore anticipated case types — from post-storm property disputes to custody challenges tied to displacement — and gain strategies for revising intake forms, designing resilient systems, and training climate-informed mediators.

📅 Conference Dates
Sept 25 (Virtual)
Sept 26 (Virtual or In-person, Albany NY – Crowne Plaza/Desmond Hotel)

✅ CLE credits available

⚠️ Today is the final day to register for in-person attendance

🔗 Register now: https://www.nysdra.org/nysdra-legacy-conference-2025