Conference Speakers

Barahona Consulting & Mediation

Kimberly Barahona, a bilingual mediator who lives and works in Spring, TX, established Barahona Consulting and Mediation in 2018 after retiring from a long career in education. In private practice she specializes in family cases and also works with medical billing disputes for the Texas Department of Insurance. Kimberly worked for the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County from 2021-2024, focusing primarily on youth educational programming. In that role she has helped create Peer Mediation teams at area schools, collaborated with the Juvenile Probation program to teach conflict resolution skills to youth and their parents, and initiated a Conflict Resolution Education Team comprised of volunteer mediators who assist the DRC-MC in their educational and community programming.

Azure G. Brown currently serves as the Records Management Officer in higher education and as a volunteer mediator and conflict coach in Texas and Minnesota. Azure regularly presents as a keynote speaker and panelist at industry events and conferences where she talks about the transformative nature of conflict management. Azure is known for her highly engaging approach to teaching mediation tools with the power to transform lives. Though she’s been appearing as an expert since 2021, Azure most recently shared her knowledge, insight, and experiences at the 2024 ARMA Canada Conference and the 2023 e-Records Conference. Born and raised in the Eastside of Austin, Texas, Azure believes strongly in the value of teaching people to manage conflict—both in personal and professional settings.

Your Divorce Made Simple (YDMS)

Amy Colton is a Certified Family Law Mediator and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, as well as a Wealth Advisor. She founded Your Divorce Made Simple to help couples understand the tax and financial ramifications of their decisions during divorce, and her sessions have revealed to her new ways to approach the often contentious process.

Mann Law Firm, PLLC

This will be a joint presentation by David Aaron DeSoto and June A. Mann. The word counter is not working - only David's information appears below.

David Aaron DeSoto is an attorney/ mediator/arbitrator at Mann Law Firm PLLC in Houston. He serves as a mediator and an arbitrator in an extensive array of disputes and legal issues in civil matters and has assisted hundreds of individuals and institutions in resolving their disputes. In addition to a busy litigation practice, he serves as an ADR
neutral on the rosters of several organizations. David is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars and has authored dozens of legal education articles. David also assists in educating, training, and mentoring new mediators. He is a TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator

ADR Notable

Gary Doernhoefer graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law and has 30 years of experience in private practice, as an in-house attorney, general counsel and entrepreneur in two successful technology startup companies. His legal experience convinced him of the benefits of ADR and inspired him to apply his skills to the development of technology for dispute resolution practitioners. He is the founder of ADR Notable - a case and practice management software designed specifically for ADR practitioners, Co-Chair of the Technology Committee of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section which was recently recognized for innovation by the Section, and a frequent speaker on ADR technology.

Brenda BJ Guiden Mediation Group LLC

Brenda BJ Guiden, a Credentialed Distinguished Mediator and HR Consultant, has vast experience in workplace, marital, and divorce mediation. She is also an empathy listening circle facilitator and Emotional Intelligence consultant,
emphasizing the importance of understanding and connection in resolving conflicts. As a fellow of 3'C's Met Mediators International Institute, Brenda collaborates with cohorts across New Delhi, Abuja, Malaysia, London, South Africa, and the USA. Her education at Louisiana State and Lamar University, combined with her dedication to lifelong learning, fuels her passion for mediation. Brenda’s signature trainings focus on Workplace Unity, Team Building, and Wellness/Wellbeing. Her company, Guiden Mediation Group LLC, embodies the motto, "We Guide -You Decide," reflecting her belief: This Too Shall Pass…

FourthParty

Michael Holmes is a creative strategist with a strong legal background, entrepreneurial spirit, and a knack for technological innovation. He is the Chief Product Officer at FourthParty, an ADR technology company, where he focuses on automating mediation practice management and driving innovation in the ADR space.

Michael cofounded the first fully virtual ADR company, providing on-demand mediations to an industry that was almost entirely in-person prior to the pandemic. As a trial attorney, Michael founded GreenCourt Legal Technologies, creating PeachCourt, an electronic filing and document access solution that revolutionized court processes in Georgia and across the country.

His diverse experiences makes him a leading voice in the development of alternative dispute resolution practice.

Lawrence R. Jones NM, LLC

Lawrence R. Jones is the author of Point C and co-creator of the Point C public educational outreach project. He is a former New Jersey Superior Court judge who served as the President of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NJCJFCJ) and authored over 60 judicial opinions on novel issues of law. He is the co-author of “ 10 Basic Principles of Cultural Competency (BPCC); A Starting Point for New Mediators.” He practices mediation and has recently relocated with his family to New Mexico, where he has been appointed by the New Mexico Supreme Court as Vice-Chair of the New Mexico Supreme Court as Vice-Chair of the New Mexico Statewide Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution. He also teaches Constitutional Law at the University of New Mexico.

Point C

Joni Jones is the co-creator of the Point C outreach project, and is a registered nurse, a certified anger management specialist, a former certified developmental disabilities nurse, and retired member of the NJ State Board of Nursing. She is also a mediator and lecturer on dispute resolution and issues regarding cultural competency/sensitivity and children with special needs. From 2002-2009, Joni worked with major league baseball teams to create the first-ever “Autism Awareness Day” games by the New York Yankees, the Florida Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the (then) Montreal Expos. In 2002, the National Baseball Hall of Fame honored the Lakewood BlueClaws, minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, for hosting pro baseball’s first-ever Autism Awareness Day. Joni is the co-author of “10 Basic Principles of Cultural Competency .” She has recently relocated to New Mexico and is a member of U.S Senator Ben Ray Lujan’s Mental Health Consortium.

Kathleen Ruane Leedy Mediation Services

Kathleen Ruane Leedy taught high school for twenty-two years, has her Masters in Ed., and is an Intl. Mediation Trainer through Phoenix Dispute Solutions, CIArb, CMC, CMTP, and a US Cert. Mediator/Trainer in twelve states and trained in seven. She is an Intl. Law School Med. Tournament Judge/Coach, an Advisory Board member of MediateGuru and Accords Intl. She is the Reg. Coordinator-Americas IMAW,Founder Vivad Sankalp 2019, and President TMI 2024. Her diverse mediation career has spanned sixteen years of mediating over 1000 cases in court and private practice with a settlement rate above 95%. She mediates a wide range of cases, including small claims, divorce, business, workplace, & family issues, specializing in particularly high-conflict mediations.

Mann Law Firm PLLC

June A. Mann is an attorney/mediator/arbitrator at Mann Law Firm PLLC in Houston. She serves as a mediator and an arbitrator in an extensive array of disputes and legal issues in civil matters and has assisted hundreds of individuals and institutions in resolving their disputes. In addition to a busy litigation practice, she serves as an ADR neutral on the rosters of several organizations. June is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars and has authored legal education articles on a variety of topics. June also assists in educating, training, and mentoring new mediators. She is a TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator.

Mark Nair is the CEO of Voxa, a language learning company, and COO of Oasis Microgrids. He is a member of the National Academy of Inventors, a mentor for the National Science Foundation, and a mentor for the Texas Tech Innovation Hub. He has an extensive portfolio of technology patents, including AI work in the early 2000s.

He has developed technologies for large retailers, including Walmart. As president of Redigi, Inc, he built the world’s first used digital marketplace.

Mr. Nair has his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and attended the University of Texas School of Law.

He enjoys languages and speaks German, French, and Mandarin, as well as English.

Shalom Austin - Jewish Family Service

Matt Smith is a Therapist and Family Mediator at Shalom Austin – Jewish Family Service, where he's worked with families in conflict around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. He serves as Vice President of the Austin Mediation Association and Treasurer of the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus. He’s also on the training and facilitation teams at the Austin Dispute Resolution Center.

Matt earned a B.A. in linguistics at Yale University and a Master of Science in Social Work at U.T. Austin. His professional history includes stints as Executive Director of Out Youth (Austin) and as adjunct faculty at U.T. Austin, where he taught social justice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Yes Mediate, LLC

Angela is the CEO of Yes Mediate, a dispute resolution company that serves communities and industry leaders throughout the U.S. and abroad. She is a trauma-informed professional mediator, arbitrator, and lecturer for Manousso Mediation & Arbitration ADR and Training Services.

Angela has a master's degree in Dispute Resolution from the award-winning Touro University Worldwide's School of Business. She uses her vast leadership experience and knowledge of alternative dispute resolution to lead her team of 40 dispute resolution professionals in resolving conflicts through mediation, arbitration, facilitation, and ombuds services. She leads a response team that teaches communities prevention, de-escalation, response and aftermath techniques for the prevention of violence.

Angela is not only a practitioner, but also a leader in the ADR field. She serves as the board president of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Houston Chapter and on the boards of the Houston Gerontological Society and the Texas Association of Mediators as its newsletter editor. Her active engagement in these roles is a testament to her dedication to the field.

TG8 Solutions Insight

Kendria is a seasoned organizational development professional, boasting over 20 years of experience across education, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. She is renowned as a dynamic professional development consultant and subject matter expert, celebrated for her hands-on collaborative facilitation approach. Kendria's impact extends nationwide, offering her expertise in empathy, emotional intelligence, mental health, culture and the art of communication, collaboration, and conflict navigation. Her client list includes QuikTrip, Lockheed Martin, Tarrant County, Texas Instruments, Shiner( Beers) and many more. TMCA Credentialed Mediator with mediation credentials from the University of North Texas, in Workplace Conflict, Family Mediation, and Conflict Resolution. She also holds a Masters.

Sonja Wood is a qualified Mediator, having completed her training in 2019, specializing in Civil and Business Disputes. In 2024, she assumed the role of Chair of Membership for the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM), thereby joining TAM’s Board of Directors. Additionally, she holds certification as a Conflict Influencer™ from HCI and serves as a speaker and trainer for HCI. She dedicates her time as a volunteer mediator, actively supporting Dispute Resolution Centers across Texas. Committed to upholding the standards and integrity of the mediation profession, she is a TMCA Candidate for Credentialed Mediator.

Texas State University

Walter A. Wright is a professor of Law and ADR in the Legal Studies Program of the Department of Political Science at Texas State University. An attorney and mediator, he received B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Houston and an LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University. A former president of the Texas Association of Mediators and the Association of Attorney-Mediators, he has also been Chair of the International Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution. The Texas Mediator Credentialing Association has named him an Outstanding Credentialed Mediator. Since 1995, he has taught ADR courses and conducted facilitated dialogues in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.