Note from Robin Wheeler, New President/Chair of TAPM | |
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Dear TAPM Members,
I’m pleased to be serving as President of TAPM, and am grateful to our recent past Presidents, Jackie and Kim. They have both led TAPM with grace and vision. My hope is to maintain the momentum they started.
My two primary goals this year are Connection and Membership.
Connection: Many of you have expressed a desire to connect, not only online, but in person as well. We hope to offer some regional in-person opportunities for our members to meet informally to get to know one another or to have in-person CME opportunities.
Membership: As of this publication date, TAPM has 153 members statewide. There are currently over 1,000 Rule 31 listed mediators, and likely as many other trained mediators within our state’s border. While we are pleased each of you continue to choose to be a TAPM member, we recognize that TAPM can offer so much to so many more, especially in areas where there may be only one or two mediators for miles. Tennessee remains largely rural, in spite of its meteoric population growth. And, TAPM wants to provide the support to mediators in the rural areas with CMEs and by providing a network of mediators willing to mentor and/or provide moral support.
These two goals are intertwined and need each of you to succeed. If you are willing to host an in-person gathering at your office, your home, your church or a local restaurant/bowling alley/golf course/etc., please reach out to a member of your TAPM board. We will work with you to make the gathering a success. We hope to bring members and possible new members together to grow not only TAPM, but bring mediation to the forefront in our beautiful state.
We will continue to bring you quality, online CME opportunities and look forward to seeing you at a nearby or virtual event soon.
If you have other ideas for TAPM, please reach out.
Thank you, Robin
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Note from Kimberly Best, Immediate Past President of TAPM | |
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Dear Fellow Mediators and Members,
As my term as president of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators comes to a close, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your engagement and support over the past year. Together, we have made great strides in bringing our mediation community together and providing valuable professional development opportunities.
First and foremost, I would like to thank all the members who attended our events and helped make our initiatives successful. Thank you for showing up for the post-speaker Members Meeting, where we could further our conversations and get to know one another better. Your participation was vital to strengthening our association.
I also want to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our board members. Your leadership and guidance were instrumental in setting the direction for our association and ensuring we met the needs of our members effectively. I would especially like to thank Jen Comiskey for the countless things she has done to create content and quality to all of our projects. Your dedication allowed us to launch our new website, host another fantastic annual conference, and organize monthly learning sessions with world-class speakers.
As I transition into the role of past president for the upcoming year, I am confident that our association will continue to thrive and grow under the new leadership of Robin Wheeler as president, Gordon Russell as vice-president, and Karen Phillips as treasurer. I encourage all members to remain actively involved, as your contributions are what make our community so vibrant and impactful.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president. Thank you for joining me in the pursuit of bringing mediators together, fostering professional excellence, and promoting the invaluable practice of mediation in our great state of Tennessee.
Sincerely,
Kim Best
Past President, TAPM
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“Do something wonderful. People may imitate it.”
-Albert Schweitzer
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2024-2025 TAPM Board Roster | |
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Treasurer
Karen Phillips
901-485-5248, mobile
Karenphillips.mediation@gmail.com
ResolveItWithMediation.com
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Marc Harwell
Harwell & Hurst PLLC
423-756-7333, work
marc@harwelllawgroup.com
https://harwellhurst.com
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Merry Brown
Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services (3P)
731.587.5993
3pconflictrestoration@gmail.com
https://www.3pconflictrestoration.com
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Sonja Walton
901-490-1747
sswalton8@gmail.com
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Jacqueline Kittrell
Community Mediation Center (Knoxville)
865-684-9843
jackie.kittrell@2mediate.org
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How Have You Benefited from TAPM? | |
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We need your help in our membership campaign to reach all Tennessee mediators. Your experience can inspire others to join TAPM.
Please share your answer to the question, “How have you benefited from your TAPM membership?” You can do this in one of the following ways:
- Make a 30 to 60-second video and post it on LinkedIn, tagging TAPM.
- Send us a 30 to 60-second video, and we'll share it on our social media.
- Send us a 40–80 word statement, and we'll post it on our social media.
Let’s spread the good word to all Tennessee mediators! Email submissions to jen.comiskey@2mediate.org.
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TAPM Speaker Series Presents:
Cheryl Epps
May 6, 2024 (11am-12pmCT/12pm-1pmET, online via Zoom)
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At 11amCT/12pmET: Join us for “Beyond the Courtroom: Integrating Peer Mediation to Resolve Conflicts and Rebuild Lives,” presented by Cheryl Epps, the Executive Director of Kids Managing Conflict (see bio below). Peer mediation programs can potentially enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the juvenile court system. Peer mediators can offer a unique approach to conflict resolution, addressing the underlying issues most prevalent with juvenile offenders, and providing a safe [enough] platform that supports relating through shared experiences. Integrating a peer mediation process can serve to reduce recidivism rates, improve self-worth, foster accountability, and help mitigate the adversarial dynamic of the juvenile court system.
This event will be followed at 12pmCT/1pmET by our regular TAPM Member Meeting. We hope you can join us for networking and fellowship!
This has been approved for 1 hour of General CLE and 1 hour of General CME!
| After a fulfilling career as a Social Worker, Investigator, and Training Manager, Cheryl retired as a Children’s Services Administrator from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, with 27 years of service. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with youth and underserved communities. She is the Executive Director of Kids Managing Conflict. Her recent work includes facilitating dialogues with high schools and colleges nationwide, addressing how to improve the relationship between students and local policing agencies. As a Senior Mediator with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Dispute Resolution Program, Cheryl conducts mediation sessions between community members and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers whenever a suitable complaint is filed. Cheryl has collaborated with the Institute of Non-Violence, Police2Peace, the Portland Oregon and Pasquotank North Carolina Peace Initiatives, the Ashland Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI). Cheryl graduates this May with a Masters in Conflict Management from Pepperdine University. |
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Thanks to Everyone Who Attended TAPM's
May Speaker Series Event
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TAPM welcomed Stephanie Blondell as our featured Speaker in May. She provided an in-depth examination of interest-based bargaining dynamics and strategies for identifying interests in mediation. 50 people registered for this event, which was approved for 1 hour of CME and 1 hour of CLE credit. Her presentation was well-reviewed, and was followed by our monthly membership meeting. Thank you to attendees for your participation and support of our Speaker Series Events.
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Other News and Opportunities | |
Volunteer Opportunity: Ombudsman/Mediator | |
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The Tennessee Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an office under the Secretary of Defense, is currently recruiting volunteer Ombudsman/Mediators. Ombudsmen work with military service members and their civilian or government employers to help interpret the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) and resolve reemployment issues following deployment. Interested parties will receive expense paid three-day training in Crystal City, VA outside of D.C. A class is currently available in August of this year. This volunteer work consists of handling two to four cases per year via telephone/computer and may qualify for pro bono credit for attorneys. Interested mediators should contact Marcus Whitt II, Tennessee ESGR Ombudsman State Director at csmwhitt@att.net.
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2024 ABA Dispute Resolution Arbitration Institute | |
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What: 2024 ABA Dispute Resolution Arbitration Institute
When: June 6-7, 2024
Where: Atlanta, GA | Miles Mediation Atlanta Offices
Who should attend?
- Litigators seeking to improve their arbitration skills
- Arbitrators desiring to enhance their practical skills and delve into challenging issues that often arise in arbitration
- In-house counsel interested in learning the nuts and bolts of arbitration and best practices for managing existing arbitral matters
- Practicing lawyers considering a career move to arbitration
Program Details:
Presented by nationally recognized experts, the Institute features comprehensive sessions on every stage of the arbitral process examined from the vantage point of neutrals, advocates, and in-house counsel. Substantive sessions address specific areas of arbitral practice. Small group break-out discussions follow, which allow participants to interact in depth with the faculty and each other.
The 2024 Arbitration Institute is your chance to sharpen your arbitration skills and expand your network. Register here using discount PartOrg24 to receive the ABA member rate.
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TN Community Mediation Center Retreat | |
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This month, Community Mediation Centers (CMCs) from across the state gathered in Monterey, TN to discuss the exciting future of community mediation. A key topic was the potential for collaboration to strengthen community mediation services across the state. This workshop included powerful conversations on common challenges faced by TN CMCs, volunteer support, technology, secondary trauma exposure, and many other topics. This was an opportunity for the staff of these organizations in different parts of the state to come together, exchange ideas, share community mediation best practices, and build strong and lasting connections. Participants discussed the many ways to provide training and resources to future centers, ensuring they have a strong foundation for success. Participants also explored ways to define the values and mission of community mediation and communicate them with the broader community.
Attendees left the workshop with a renewed sense of purpose, enthusiasm, and connection. The future of community mediation looks bright, full of opportunities for collaboration and building together. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to making this Community Mediation workshop a resounding success. The staff of NCRC did an incredible job of organizing and coordinating this event.
This conference built on the conversations that began last Fall at the first collaborative retreat and will continue into the future. This event was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the American Arbitration Association - International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR).
| If you haven't already found us online, check out our social media pages. We would love to hear from you about your mediation practice or mediation opportunities including training, connections and presentations. Check back regularly for updates on upcoming events! | |
News to share? Upcoming Events that would be of interest to TAPM mediators? Job openings you’d like to promote? Email submissions for upcoming TAPM newsletters to jen.comiskey@2mediate.org
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