Welcoming NAFCM's New Executive Director: Matthew Phillips!

Dear Members of NAFCM and friends of community mediation:

Please join me in welcoming Matt Phillips , who will officially begin as NAFCM’s Executive Director on Monday April 22nd. Matt’s most recent role was the director of the Volunteers of America Dispute Resolution Center in Everett, Washington, where Matt grew the program budget from $300,000 to over $1 million annually. He was also the Chair-person for the Resolution Washington’s state-wide legislative committee that was involved in raising over $12 million for conflict resolution in Washington State. In addition to his entrepreneurial and innovative fundraising skills, Matt has strong member relations skills, is very knowledgeable about community mediation and has vast skills which he will utilize to serve NAFCM member needs.

The NAFCM Board of Directors is thrilled to be entering into a vibrant new phase in our development. The robust response we received to our job announcement is a testimonial to the growth of NAFCM and the relevance and value the organization has for its members. Matt is full of energy, skill and knowledge and NAFCM Board members are ready to roll up our sleeves to work with Matt advance the critical work of community mediation.

Also, please join me in thanking Justin R. Corbett for all of his vast contributions to NAFCM and to wish him well in his new endeavors.

We hope you will take a moment to welcome Matt.

Kind regards,

Karmit Bulman, on behalf of the NAFCM Board of Directors

Introducing The NAFCM Clearinghouse

NAFCM is pleased to announce the most exciting resource it's ever produced, one which will change the way our community collaborates and shares information. Introducing: the NAFCM Clearinghouse!

Overview

The NAFCM Clearinghouse is the field’s one-stop-shop for community mediation resources. From archived content to ongoing projects, this resource compendium is a home for the field’s digital and intellectual assets. Through the collaborative engagement of NAFCM program members, the Clearinghouse serves as an aggregated, searchable hard drive containing all the best of what was once scattered across centers and software. It’s a place to source and share materials that chronicle our accomplishments and propel our progress in ways which are faster and more connected than ever before.

2012 Year in Review

Happy New Year, Community Mediation!

2013 marks NAFCM's 19th year as the Voice of Community Mediation, and we're planning to take that voice into some pretty exciting new directions! Before we do, however, let's take a look back at some of our notable 2012 accomplishments... countdown style!  

10. New Member Benefits

As a member-supported organization, NAFCM is always seeking ways to support those who support us. Our growing package of member benefits is one way we're pleased to say "Thank You!" In 2012, we added several new options, including the ability to secure professional email addresses for all NAFCM members and the continued discount on Mediate.com's Case Manager for program members.

9. Community Calendar

Community mediation happens. When and where it does, NAFCM has it scheduled! This past year we continued to expand our Community Mediation Calendar by freely promoting over 600 local community trainings, gatherings, and celebrations. 

8. Conference Circuit

Each year brings a new slate of exceptional international and regional ADR conferences. This past year we had the pleasure of connecting with community colleagues at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, ACR, and SCMA annual conferences. We're planning even more gatherings for 2013! 

7. Webinar Series

2012 was a smashing success for NAFCM's new Community Mediation Webinar Series. We hosted over a dozen sessions on all manner of topics, most of which were FREE for current members! Moving into 2013, we'll continue to expand our offerings, including access to recordings from many of our archived events.

6. Publications Revisions

Early in 2012, NAFCM concluded the monumental task of completely revising many of our key publications. Thoroughly updated to reflect the field's evolving wisdom, NAFCM now offers the most up-to-date set of community mediation guides available anywhere. Moving into 2013, many of these will be available digitally to current program members! 

5. PeerMediators.org

Constructive youth-focused conflict resources are a must-have in today's schools. This past year, NAFCM collaborated with APADRC and Wendy E. H. Corbett to develop a new set of peer mediation resources that are now freely available to schools and community mediation programs everywhere. Available at PeerMediators.org, these training manuals, implementation guide, and digital resources, have already been shared with colleagues literally across the globe!

4. New Board Members

NAFCM is driven by the creative energies and dedicated work of its exceptional Board of Directors. This past year, NAFCM grew its Board by 50%, adding five inspiring field leaders and plenty of new energy to our continued renaissance. Our Board now includes representatives from 12 states and D.C. 

3. Outreach & Policy Committee

Capitalizing on the increased size and energy of the NAFCM Board, 2012 saw the establishment of our Board-level Outreach & Policy Committee. This committee will tackle some pretty important issues, including a number of pressing community mediation advocacy and public awareness initiatives. New Committee members are always welcome!

2. State of Community Mediation

For the first time in nearly a decade, NAFCM has outlined the contours and complexity of our field in its State of Community Mediation report. This extensive review included the contributions of over 100 field leaders and includes dozens of never-before-reported statistics about who we are and what we help our clients and our communities achieve. The entire report is freely available online and has been the subject of numerous presentations throughout the preceding year.

1. NAFCM Clearinghouse

One of NAFCM's top focus areas for 2012 is about to make 2013 unbelievably exciting! The NAFCM Clearinghouse, a digital, crowd-sourced collection of 6,000+ resources for and about community mediation, is now ready for its grand debut! Stay tuned to NAFCM's discussion group for release details and take a sneak peek at all that we've included.

Here's to an amazing year ahead!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM