Conference Speakers

Barahona Consulting & Mediation

Kimberly Barahona, a bilingual mediator who lives and works in Spring, Texas, 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 east side 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 family law mediator and 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 an often contentious process.

Mann Law Firm, PLLC

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, has served as in-house counsel for major corporations, and has served as 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.

Francell Mediations

Terri Francell, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is an experienced Human Resources Director, Consultant, Leader, Instructor/Trainer, and Mediator. She earned a BBA (Cum Laude) and MBA and then obtained HR certifications. Terri also has experience in debt and hot check collection, accounting, payroll, retail sales, union negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as over 30 years in all aspects of HR from recruiting, background and drug screens, benefits, compensation, workers comp, policies, systems and administration to investigations, litigation, and company closures. Terri also serves on the TAM Membership Committee and participated as a mentor in TAM’s Mentorship Pilot Program.

Francell Mediations

Clay Francell offers real world experience in credit and collections, business management, non-profit management, safety development, training, and education. Clay’s background in education and training has crossed industries from elementary and high-school classrooms to safety training for oil field, water park, and swimming pool venues. In addition to his mediation training, Clay earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in psychology from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Clay’s mediation experience includes mediating for the Juvenile Courts in Tarrant County. Clay also serves on the TAM Membership Committee and participated as a mentor in TAM’s Mentorship Pilot Program.

Guiden Mediation Group LLC

Brenda (BJ) Guiden, a TMCA 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 Three C's Met Mediators Institute, Brenda collaborates with cohorts across the world, including 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. Here motto is “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 (NCJFCJ) and has authored over 60 judicial opinions on novel issues of law. He is the co-author of the practice support essay entitled “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. Lawrence also teaches Constitutional Law at the University of New Mexico.

Point C

Joni Jones is the co-creator of the Point C public educational 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 a 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 for 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 the practice support essay entitled “10 Basic Principles of Cultural Competency (BPCC): A Starting Point for New Mediators.” 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 22 years, has her Masters in Education, and is an international mediation trainer through Phoenix Dispute Solutions, CIArb, CMC, CMTP, as well as a mediator/trainer in twelve states. She is an International Law School Mediation Tournament judge/coach and an Advisory Board Member of MediateGuru and Accords International. Kathleen is the regional coordinator for America’s International Mediation Awareness Week (IMAW), founder of Vivad Sankalp (2019), and the 2024 President of Teen Mediation International (TMI). Her diverse mediation career has spanned 16 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, and family issues, specializing in particularly high-conflict situations.

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.

Professor Emeritus of Conflict Studies, Creighton University

Bernie Mayer, Ph.D., has provided conflict intervention for families, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), unions, corporations, and governmental agencies throughout North America and internationally for over 40 years. He is Professor Emeritus of Conflict Studies, Program on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Creighton University, and a founding partner of CDR Associates. Bernie’s book (with Jacqueline Font-Guzmán), The Neutrality Trap: Disrupting and Connecting for Social Change, was published in early 2022. Previous books include The Dynamics of Conflict, Beyond Neutrality, Staying with Conflict, and The Conflict Paradox.

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 marketplace for used digital music, eBooks, games, apps, and software. 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 Mediators Association and Treasurer of the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus. He’s also on the training and facilitation teams at the Dispute Resolution Center of Austin. Matt earned a B.A. in linguistics at Yale University and a Master of Science in Social Work at UT Austin. His professional history includes stints as Executive Director of Out Youth (Austin) and as adjunct faculty at UT Austin, where he taught social justice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Yes Mediate, LLC

Angela St. Julien 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 Taylor 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. She is a TMCA Credentialed Mediator with mediation training from the University of North Texas in Workplace Conflict, Family Mediation, and Conflict Resolution. She also holds a Masters degree.

Sonja Wood completed her mediation training in 2019 and specializes in civil and business disputes. In 2024, she assumed the role of Membership Chair on the Texas Association of Mediators 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 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.