Member Spotlight: Alicia Kuin

Ever wonder what’s in it for you? Or want to get involved, but not know how? Many members and volunteers have faced the same quandary. In 2013 Alicia Kuin resolved that dilemma by volunteering to chair the inaugural MBBI online auction.

Surrounded by friends and colleagues in her Toronto living room, anxiously watching the final seconds of an online auction tick down, was not exactly what Alicia imagined when she contacted MBBI regarding the Climate Change Project. But, as the auction came to a close, excitement gave way to the realization that her months of hard work had truly helped MBBI. As MBBI board member Jean Kling notes “we have Alicia to thank for the tremendous success of our first online auction.”

Alicia’s enthusiasm and commitment to MBBI are not restricted to the auction. In fact, she is well known on the Membership Engagement Committee for making the work a bit more fun for everyone.

Although she is currently completing her L.L.M. in ADR at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, for nearly the last decade Alicia has honed her ADR skills by teaching mediation workshops, working alongside one of Canada’s top mediation firms, participating in international peace negotiations and working for the United Nations. But, the skills, such as project management, she developed working on the auction are already aiding in her design and implementation of an ADR course at Western University.

So ultimately, to paraphrase the immortal words of President Kennedy: ask not what MBBI can do for you. Ask what you can do for MBBI. Alicia did and created that often elusive win-win we mediators constantly pursue.