My work with conflict began over 15 years ago with my training in mediation. I logged countless hours addressing hundreds, maybe thousands, of conflicts in communities throughout NYC. This is the foundation of my work. Whether it is was with neighbors, in businesses, schools, courts or families – the simple truth is that there is so much to learn from conflict and the people who are involved in it. I take from this experience a vast array of tools for transforming conflict, a humbling practicality that knows conflict’s destructive potential, and a courage that seeks and finds creative outcomes even in the most difficult circumstances.

Work in schools was a natural outgrowth of my mediation work. I began teaching conflict resolution to NYC school leaders and then lead an initiative to build violence prevention programs for 10 schools in the Bronx. I was initially focused on student conflict but then became wise to a reality in schools – when adults get along and trust each other, students, no matter the community, find a way to focus on learning rather than fighting. I also learned the power of poverty and its associated stresses to intensify conflict. Through my work in schools I began to see conflict as a symptom – not the ultimate objective of my work – really just the tip of the iceberg that tells us where things in a system, in relationships, and in individuals are not working and require a shift in approach into order to help a destructive dynamic turn into a creative one.

As I became more experienced and better known, my services were sought by government leaders and I became a resource in larger community, governmental and business conflict. The work that stands out in my mind is Crown Heights. I was engaged by the Mayor to help bridge the gaps in a divided community - to find a “conflict resolution response” to the situation. In the wake of a riot, the community had developed a leadership body - the Crown Heights Coalition - which was looking for creative ways of addressing the complex layers of racial, religious, cultural and political divisions. It became clear that there was a tremendous need for a meeting place that was accessible and welcoming to all and where private and public conflicts could be worked through. The result was birth of the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center - a tangible meeting place and community resource center that was open and inclusive to all and continues to serve central Brooklyn.

For years I worked at the Center for Court Innovation, the research and development arm of the New York State Court System. I developed conflict resolution and facilitative justice initiatives in communities and courts throughout NYC. I was a consultant to government and community leaders across the country and internationally. I facilitated and trained groups of judges, community representatives as well as international visitors from Africa, the Middle East and Europe. I worked with local, state, national and international governments, communities and the private sector to initiate innovative responses to the most difficult societal challenges.

I am drawn to support people in positions of leadership who are creative, thoughtful and want to do great work in the world. Early on in my consulting I realized that I could use my conflict and strategic expertise, as well as my creativity to have positive impact on individuals as well as their businesses, organizations, communities and teams. My business was born. The clients and contexts are different, but the intent is almost always the same - to help clients, their people and the causes they are there to serve be as creative and impactful as possible.

Businesses, Non-profits and Governmental Agencies came to me because of my conflict expertise. I learned that I could quickly transform complex legal, personality, team and organization-wide conflict into opportunities for developing more creative and productive teams and workplaces. In the workplace, as in any setting, there is a delicate balance with conflict - we have to pay enough attention to it so that it evolves in a constructive way - but we also need to be careful no to spend too much time and energy on it so that other productive pursuits suffer.

I help business owners and partnerships to grow their leadership, their people, their clarity of purpose, their culture and their bottom line. This work sometimes involves conflict but is more often focused on helping leadership to be courageous, strategic and wise in their business, relationship, negotiation, and team decisions.

Much of my current conflict work involves helping people in high leadership positions to understand and engage with conflict in powerful new ways. Sometimes I work with governmental agency heads, other times it’s business owners, educational leaders and politicians - the conflicts and challenges they face are unique, but the fundamentals of being proactive with them are always the same. We turn conflict on it’s head and ask - how can we use conflict to fuel creativity and constructive change?

My entire career I have been translating my work experiences into learnable tools that any person can use to help with any conflict. I teach analytic, strategic, energy and spiritual tools that find a way to elevate the challenge of conflict into a creative opportunity.