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Member Spotlights

MBBI calls its members Peace Builders. Our members contribute their time utilizing their skills and experiences to participate in Working and Regional Groups, and Capacity-Building & Advocacy Initiatives. We hope that through our Spotlights, our members, individually and collectively, will inspire you as much as they inspire us to continue the important work.

To read more about our other current members, log into your profile for the member directory.

A growing number of international requests reach MBBI for partnerships, services, and projects. Help us build our capacity to say “yes” to these requests; consider joining us as a Peace Builder. For more information on how to become involved and for internship and volunteer opportunities, please visit our Join Us page or contact us at info@mediatorsbeyondborders.org.

Our Peace Builders

Teaching Effective Communication. Member Spotlight: Shelley Larson

Shelley Larson is a Dispute Resolution Specialist with Pollack Peacebuilding Systems, the Founder and CEO of SBL Communication, and a professor of communication and leadership at Oakland County College. She…
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Mediation in the Workplace. Member Spotlight: Lynn Hunt

Lynn Hunt currently resides in Ridgefield, Washington, which is a few miles outside of Portland, Oregon. She was first introduced to interest based conflict management processes as part of collective…
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A Life Dedicated to Addressing Conflict. Member Spotlight: Nicole Widdersheim

Nicole Widdersheim is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Prior to this, she was the Director of…
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Between Restorative and Immigration Justice. Member Spotlight: Laura Roberts

In the last few years, immigration has been representing one of the most challenging and divisive issues throughout the US, partly due to a high politicization of the matter at…
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From Litigation to Mediation. Member Spotlight: Patrick McPhilamy

Patrick McPhilamy is an arbitrator, mediator, and coach based in California. He earned his Master of Laws (LLM) from Cambridge University in 1983. Before this, he spent a summer at…
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Education as a Tool for Peacebuilding in Afghanistan. Member Spotlight: Parisa Sekandari

Parisa Sekandari is a recent graduate from Herat University in Afghanistan, receiving a Bachelors of Law and Political Science degree. She is also a country director for the Afghanistan Vis…
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Safeguarding the Earth for the Future. Member Spotlight: Yasmeen Kennedy

Yasmeen Kennedy lives in Colorado, where she works as a mediator in a variety of capacities. She is passionate about police relations, children, and climate change, and she works on…
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Promoting Peace. Member Spotlight: Nancy Boyer

Nancy is an Adjunct/Affiliated Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University…
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From Law to Mediation. Member Spotlight: Ignacio González Martínez

Ignacio is a lawyer and mediator based in Spain. He also works at a nonprofit organization that provides international volunteer opportunities to youth, mainly in the EU, but also to…
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Responsible Mediation Practices. Member Spotlight: Ted Gavin

Ted Gavin is the Managing Director and Founding Partner of Gavin/Solomonese LLC, a lead firm that specializes in corporate recovery and restructuring. He is a nationally certified professional mediator and…
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