About Us
Our Vision
Our vision is to create an inclusive and vibrant community of ADR professionals, where diversity is celebrated,
and access to conflict resolution resources is equitable for all.
Through our comprehensive network and career toolkit, we aim to empower aspiring ADR professionals from diverse backgrounds, providing them with the essential skills, mentorship, and resources needed to thrive in the field.
We envision a future where ADR practices are widely adopted and understood nationwide, fostering a culture of collaboration, understanding, and peaceful conflict resolution in every community.
Together, we strive to make ADR a household name and ensure that everyone has access to effective and fair dispute resolution processes.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower and equip emerging Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) professionals from diverse racial, religious, economic, sexual orientation, and educational backgrounds with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to excel in the ADR field.
We are committed to fostering their growth and confidence as they become ethical and effective neutrals.
By promoting equitable access to ADR resources and encouraging peaceful conflict resolution, we aim to bridge gaps in access to justice for individuals and communities across the nation.
Through collaboration, understanding, and fairness, we seek to make ADR a widely recognized and vital tool for resolving disputes in every community.
OUR BOARD
Meet our Executive Members
Our founding team reflects the diversity we aim to promote within ADR. With varied backgrounds in education, race, and experience, we understand firsthand the challenges aspiring neutrals face. We are committed to shaping the future of ADR by empowering the next generation of professionals.
Hanni Wiegand
Chairwoman/Chief Executive Officer
By day, Hanni is a mediator and HR consultant. Hanni aspires to be a dedicated neutral in labor and employment mediation, fostering empathy and empowering fair resolution, while guiding early-career professionals as they build their own paths in the ADR industry.
Jane Hyman
President
By day, Jane is a mediator and a business owner who helps families with financial planning and partners with law farms as a litigation paralegal. Jane aspires to make ADR a household name, ensuring that everyone understands and values the benefits of peaceful conflict resolution.
Viviane Pham
Vice President & Secretary
By day, Viviane is a graduate student pursing a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Palo Alto University. Viviane aspires to incorporate peacebuilding and conflict resolution principles into the therapeutic practice while championing equity and inclusivity in ADR and counseling practices.
Bai Liu
Co-Chief Financial Officer
By day, Bai is a law clerk in civil litigation. Bai aspires to be a trustworthy dispute resolution professional, committed to fairness and building lasting solutions.
Bradley Matican
Co-Chief Financial Officer
By day, Bradley is an aspiring to be an employee relations specialist as well as a neutral in mediation & arbitration. Bradley is a 2026 AAA Higginbotham Fellow. Bradley wants to empower other aspiring early-career professionals to pursue their careers in ADR.
Noni Joysar
Executive Board Member
By day, she works as a legal analyst. Noni is an international arbitration professional with experience across India and the United States, specializing in dispute resolution and cross-border matters. As an ADR enthusiast, she is committed to building inclusive pathways within the field. She is passionate about bridging global legal systems and fostering early-career talent.
Jordan Stark
Honorary Board Member
By day, Jordan is a Senior Management Analyst with the New York State Unified Court System. Jordan aspires to negotiate peace in the Middle East.
Felicia Fortel
Executive Board Member
By day, Felicia is a third-year law student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law focused on alternative dispute resolution and commercial litigation. An alum of the Cardozo Mediation Clinic and a trained Part 146 mediator, Felicia brings experience in both litigation and mediation, with a particular interest in leveraging strategic negotiation and legal analysis to resolve complex disputes efficiently.
Taya Cromley
Executive Board Member
By day, Taya is a licensed clinical psychologist, consultant, and mediator, focusing on the use of evidence-informed approaches to resolve conflict between individuals and groups. Taya is committed to supporting early career mediators bridge the gap between training and practice and championing greater use of alternative dispute resolution in community settings.
Meet our Advisory Board
Our advisory board is made up of experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds, industries, and perspectives. They provide guidance, mentorship, and insight. Their expertise and commitment strengthen our mission and ensure that emerging ADR professionals have the tools and opportunities to succeed.
Jeffrey T. Zaino, Advisory Board Chair
Jeffrey T. Zaino, Esq. is the Vice President of the Commercial Division of the American Arbitration Association in New York. Since joining the Association in 1990, he has overseen the administration of large and complex commercial cases, user outreach, and the panel of commercial neutrals. A committed advocate for advancing alternative dispute resolution, Jeff actively contributes to numerous professional organizations, including the American, Connecticut, District of Columbia, New York State, New York City, and Westchester County Bar Associations.
He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution and participates in committees of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Campaign for Greener Arbitration
Katrina Nobles
Katrina Nobles is the Director of Conflict Programs at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution). She designs and teaches professional and academic programs in mediation, facilitation, and workplace conflict resolution, including the Campus Mediation Practicums.
Her research focuses on labor and employment ADR, with current projects examining mediator characteristics and non-union ADR systems. In addition to her academic work, Katrina provides facilitation and conflict training for organizations across the private and nonprofit sectors.
Alan A. Symonette
In the public sector, he is the arbitrator at Tennessee Valley Authority (Power), at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, among others. His work in Major League baseball is also highly regarded. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and a fellow of the ABA College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Valentina Racanati
With nearly a decade of experience in mediation, negotiation, and legal education, her work spans a wide range of ADR contexts, with a focus on promoting inclusive and accessible dispute resolution practices. Valentina is also one of the founders of ECADRN.
Cassie Hemphill
Cassie Hemphill (Ph.D., CM, CVF, CP3) has more than 30 years of experience designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating public participation and community engagement processes and projects.
Her work spans nuclear energy, environmental and natural resource development and management, healthcare services delivery, academic and community education, and nonprofit and grassroots advocacy. Cassie is also the President of Montana Mediation Association.
Niyati Ahuja
Niyati Ahuja, Esq. is a senior associate in the New York office of Reed Smith. She is admitted to practice law in India and New York. She represents global corporations and individuals in international commercial disputes involving breaches of fiduciary duties, shareholder and joint venture disputes, and investment disputes involving breaches of stabilization and concession agreements.
Ariel Silverman
Ariel Silverman is a first-year law student at the George Washington University Law School with interests in government procurement and national security law. She holds a Master’s in Chinese Studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where she wrote her thesis on comparative American and Chinese approaches to space resource law.
Ariel earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Harvard College and currently serves as Executive Director of the Global Leadership Fellowship, an annual conference that equips graduate students and young professionals with cross-cultural and conflict resolution skills to address issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lauren Covington
Lauren Covington is the College & Career Center Coordinator at Gallatin High School in Bozeman, Montana. With a commitment to guiding students toward meaningful futures, Lauren helps manage the school’s pathways for college preparation, career exploration, and workforce readiness. She supports students across academics, internships, transcript requests, and career & technical education opportunities to help them realize their post‑secondary goals.
Ingeuneal C. Gray
Ingeuneal C. Gray, Esq. is the vice president of inclusion and engagement at the American Arbitration Association (AAA), where she leads initiatives to enhance diversity within alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and promote equitable representation. She was formerly an AAA commercial vice president and has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney, arbitrator, and mediator.
Before her roles at AAA, Gray was the principal of ICG Law Firm, focusing on transactions, compliance and conflict prevention.
Rebecca Mosquera
Rebeca Mosquera, Esq. is the current President of ArbitralWomen and a senior associate at Reed Smith’s New York office. She is a dual-qualified attorney in Panama and New York, with nearly fifteen years of experience in investor-state disputes and international commercial arbitrations. Her experience spans various industries, including renewable energy, oil & gas, infrastructure, construction, technology, real estate, and telecommunications.
Rekha Rangachari
Rekha Rangachari has served as the Executive Director of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC) since 2017. In her role at NYIAC, Rekha collaborates with stakeholders and thought leaders in the space to advance global scholarship and best practices; offers educational programming, events, and trainings; and operates world-class hearing facilities in Midtown Manhattan.
Rekha is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and Cardozo School of Law.
Lorrie E. Whitfield
Liz Davis-Frost
Liz Davis-Frost is a Mediation and Training Extension Associate at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution). She co-teaches the Campus Mediation Practicum courses and develops conflict coaching programs for constituencies across the Cornell community, engaging with partners both within and outside the university.
Liz's commitments extend beyond the classroom — she has served on the Public Safety Advisory Committee, coordinated the Undergraduate Student Leadership Council, and supported the Restorative Practices Professional Learning Group, reflecting her dedication to restorative justice and accessible community-building.
Pam Ly
Lisa Hershman
Lisa Hershman is a mediator, consultant, and conflict coach in private practice at Lisa Hershman Associates. She holds a JD and MSW from New York University and is affiliated with Community Mediation Services in Queens, NY and Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, NY.
Lisa’s practice focuses on family mediation, parent-teen conflict, juvenile justice, restorative justice, special education mediation, community mediation, coaching, facilitation, and program development. She is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and a past president of the ACR Education Section. Lisa is passionate about mentoring and learning alongside new mediators.
Colleen Connelly
Colleen has extensive experience in labor and employment, neutral workplace investigation and a variety of commercial and business matters. A lifelong learner, Colleen's mission is to guide individuals and organizations from conflict to resolution and use meaningful learning to foster growth to resolve, learn and thrive.
Manan Bhanushali
Manan Bhanushali is an SAP ABAP Consultant at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with nearly three years of experience in enterprise technology solutions. Passionate about emerging technologies and collaboration, he continues to explore creative ways to enhance SAP systems and drive business transformation.