ACR Update, May 2008
Published by the Association for Conflict Resolution
http://www.acrnet.org

To view past issues online, go to: http://www.acrnet.org/publications/acrupdate.htm

ACR to collaborate with Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell

ACR and the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University are pleased to announce a formal collaboration of research, resources and programs. Effective April 1, 2008, the collaboration brings together the nation’s largest professional association of workplace mediators and arbitrators and the nation’s top-ranked academic ADR institute.

The Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University is the first institute of its kind with a comprehensive focus on the study and practice of workplace dispute resolution. With programs for undergraduate and graduate students as well as professionals, the Scheinman Institute has a mission to educate the next generation of neutrals. It is the nation’s premier center for the study of employment mediation and employment arbitration. Beyond a research orientation, the Institute offers a certificate program in workplace ADR, and manages several rosters of neutrals for labor and employment disputes. Scheinman ICR Executive Director Rocco Scanza says, “We are pleased to enter this relationship with ACR, along with its mutual benefits. We look forward to collaborating with ACR in our research and educational ventures.”

ACR Workplace Co-Chair Mike McDowell says, “This affiliation provides ACR access to cutting-edge academics and research in the field of dispute resolution.” ACR Workplace Co-Chair Vickie Knudsen adds, “The Scheinman Institute is a national resource in ADR training, and will offer access to their executive education and conference facilities.”

The first step in collaboration will be in June 2008, with the Scheinman Institute’s contribution at the ACR Workplace Section Mid-Year Conference, to be held in San Diego. Conference Co-chair Debra Dupree says the Scheinman Institute “has offered to teach a core workshop at our conference, which would not otherwise be available to us. This is the beginning of a mutually valuable relationship.”

For more information, contact Mike McDowell at 412-260-5151 (or mmcdowell@arbitrationsandmediations.com) or Vicki Knudsen at 406-320-1815 (or vknudsen@mt.gov).

Bluffton University appoints ACR Member as its First Mediation Coordinator

Bluffton University in Ohio has announced the appointment of Janet Mitchell, an ACR Advanced Practitioner and Family Section member, as the university’s first campus mediation coordinator. Her position will help prepare Bluffton student, staff and faculty mediators to work with the Putnam County juvenile justice system in Ottawa, Ohio.

Mitchell’s appointment was created in response to expressed interest by individuals who have completed mediation training on Bluffton’s campus. As mediation coordinator, Mitchell will serve as a resource for the campus and community, provide advanced mediation training, as well as co-mediate with and coordinate the mediators. She will also work extensively with students who are working toward a minor in peace and conflict studies.

“The key to a successful mediation program is having a coordinator, and it is exciting for me to be Bluffton University’s first mediation coordinator,” said Mitchell. She is eager for Bluffton’s mediators to have the opportunity to use and practice conflict resolution skills learned through the university’s mediation training. “A great mediator is a good communicator and listener, and it will be empowering for the mediators to facilitate conversation and resolve conflicts through interpersonal peace-building.”

Currently, Mitchell is the director of Elder Care Mediators and Midwest Mediation Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. She teaches basic and advanced mediation skills on the college level and at workshops. Mitchell has co-founded a number of organizations, including the Church of the Brethren's Ministry of Reconciliation and Fort Wayne's Common Ground Community Dispute Resolution Center. She received her bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

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Ester Soriano, an active ACR member, died on April 3. Ester was a highly regarded, nationally recognized pioneer in mediation. She helped to found several social and political groups including the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, the National Committee for the Restoration of Civil Liberties in the Philippines, and the Asian American Drug Abuse Program.

In September 2007, Ester received ACR’s Diversity and Equity Leadership Award. Long-time colleague and friend Marvin Johnson presented the award. He recalls her fondly, “Ester was very active in the area of diversity. She was sweet, but tough as nails, and the kind of person you’d want to always have your back.”

ACR Board member Fernaundra Ferguson says Ester was a tireless worker. “She brought so much to her work, and she will be greatly missed.”

Ester worked for Los Angeles County for more than 35 years. Most recently, she was the grants administrator for the Los Angeles County Dispute Resolution Program.

Ester served as jury foreperson in the civil case that Rodney King brought against Los Angeles in 1991. She also facilitated discussions around the country following 9/11.

Ester is survived by three sons and three siblings.

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ACR’s Nominating Committee is soliciting nominations for the following positions on the 2008–2009 Board of Directors:

• A President-Elect, who will serve a three-year term, commencing at the end of the 2008 Annual Conference; the first year as President-Elect; the second year as President; and the third year as Immediate Past President. To be eligible for election to this office, a candidate must either serve currently on the Board or have served on the Board within the five years immediately preceding his or her nomination as President-Elect.

• Three Directors-at-Large and a Sections Director, who will each serve three-year terms, commencing at the end of the 2008 Annual Conference. To be eligible for election to the Board, a person must be a member of ACR in good standing who is at least eighteen years of age.

Members interested in learning more about these open positions or the nomination process should go to: http://www.acrnet.org/about/2008BoDElections/call for nominations.htm. All nominations must be submitted in writing by 5:30 p.m. EDT on May 27, 2008 to pwashington@acrnet.org or via fax to 202-464-9720.

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Bylaws changed to even out Terms

The Organizational Assessment report on ACR last spring made a number of recommendations regarding ACR’s governance structure and bylaws. Last summer, the board formally adopted some of those recommendations, such as eliminating the Treasurer-Elect position and changing the process for electing the Vice President from the prior process in which the runner-up in the election for President-Elect automatically became the Vice President. The new process will have the Vice President elected by the board when the board elects the Secretary and Treasurer.

Other recommendations were submitted to the members for comment in August. Since there were no comments, the board has proceeded to amend the bylaws as follows: Under the old bylaws, the Sections Director and the Chapters Director were elected in the same year, along with three At-Large Directors. This produced a rotation that would have put five board seats up for election this year and just three seats next year. To fix this oddity, the board amended the bylaws to extend the Chapter Director’s seat to 2009. Thus, 2008 will have elections for three At-Large Directors and the Sections Director. 2009 will have elections for three At-Large Directors and the Chapters Director, and in 2010 there will be elections for four At-Large Directors. The revised bylaws will be posted on the ACR website shortly.

Board moves to a New Strategic Plan

The Organizational Assessment report noted that some objectives in ACR’s strategic plan for 2005-2007 had not been achieved in order to tend to more immediate operational issues. With those changes behind us, ACR is ready to look forward to a new future. ACR has engaged Plexus Consulting, Inc. to guide the board in a new strategic planning effort. Plexus will conduct a member survey in May and hold interviews with stakeholders, culminating with its facilitation of a day and a half session with the board in late June. After the June session, Plexus will help ACR develop a business plan for achieving the major objectives in the strategic plan.  

ACR members will have opportunities for feedback not only through the survey, but also through Listening Sessions in May and June, whereby members can join a conference call with President Marilyn McKnight and other leaders to talk about the future of ACR. Watch for an announcement early this week. 

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ACR's 8th Annual Conference

"Aspirations, Possibilities, and Realities:
Expanding Principles, Practice, and Research

in a Changing World"

September 24 -27, 2008
Hilton Austin
Austin, Texas

 http://acrnet.org/conferences/ac08/index.htm

Lee H. Hamilton will deliver Keynote Address at ACR’s 8^th Annual Conference

Lee H. Hamilton, president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and director of The Center on Congress at Indiana University, will deliver the keynote address at ACR’s 8th Annual Conference: “Aspirations, Possibilities, and Realities: Expanding Principles, Practice, and Research in a Changing World.” The conference will take place September 24-27th in Austin, Texas. Hamilton will discuss what it will take to reach a successful end to the war in Iraq. His keynote will be followed by a roundtable discussion comprised of practitioners from the field.

Hamilton served for 34 years in Congress representing Indiana’s 9th District. He was chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. As a member of the House Standards of Official Conduct Committee, Hamilton was a primary draftsperson of several House ethics reforms.

Hamilton served as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan assessment of the situation in Iraq, created at the urging of Congress. He served as Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission and co-chaired the 9/11 Public Discourse Project established to monitor implementation of the Commission’s recommendations. He is currently a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, the FBI Director’s Advisory Board, the CIA Director’s Economic Intelligence Advisory Panel, the Defense Secretary’s National Security Study Group, and the US Department of Homeland Security Task Force on Preventing the Entry of Weapons of Mass Effect on American Soil.

Hamilton is a graduate of DePauw University and Indiana University law school, and studied for a year at Goethe University in Germany. Before his election to Congress, he practiced law in Chicago and Columbus, Indiana.

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Mark your calendars now! ACR’s 9th Annual Conference will be held October 7-10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Hilton Atlanta.

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• The spring 2008 issue of ACR’s academic journal, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, was recently mailed to members. The CRQ is also available online to members via the member center portal: https://bridge.acrnet.org.

• Watch your mailbox later this month for the spring 2008 issue of ACResolution magazine, titled “ADR in the Federal Government: Opportunities and Challenges.”

Call for Article Proposals: Fall 2008 Issue of ACResolution:

ACR’s fall 2008 issue of ACResolution magazine will focus on the topic of Consumer Disputes. We are soliciting contributions that address this topic from the points of view of interveners, parties, and theorists from all practice areas.

We seek proposals from people who would like to write articles on any aspect of consumer disputes. We seek diversity in authors and subject matter; authors do not have to be ACR members.

If interested, please:

• write a half-page (150-300 word) description of your proposed article,

• include a title/headline for your article,

• include your name and contact information,

• include one to three lines of biographical information, and

• specify if you would like to write a major (2,700 words) or minor (1,300 words) feature.

Send your proposals via e-mail to ACResolution at publications@ACRnet.org as soon as possible, but no later than June 2, 2008.

An editorial advisory committee will review the proposals and choose 2 or 3 major features and 2 or 3 minor features. All authors will be notified by June 13. If selected, completed articles will be due to ACR by August 1, 2008.

For more information about ACResolution, please visit http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acresolution.htm.   

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Environment and Public Policy Section

2008 Environment and Public Policy Section Conference

Monday, May 19^th

Tucson, Arizona

The 2008 EPP Section Conference addresses the opportunities and challenges facing practitioners and government programs in applying and teaching conflict resolution skills in the changing institutional environment of collaborative planning and problem solving. Sessions explore the interplay between conflict resolution practice and social, cultural, political, and organizational aspects of institutional change.

For EPP conference program information and registration materials,

please follow this link:

http://www.mediate.com/acrepp/pg26.cfm

Held in conjunction with

The Environmental Conflict Resolution Conference

May 20 – 22

Tucson, Arizona

The EPP Conference is held in conjunction with the National Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR) Conference. Sponsored by the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution and several federal agency partners, the three-day conference will focus on examining various ways to enhance the success of ECR processes through better understanding of emerging and innovative uses of new technology and communication tools; what we are learning from the latest research and evaluation of ECR and other collaborative processes; and how to navigate process choices to make informed decisions that will lead to improved outcomes for all stakeholders. The conference will provide a forum for exchange of ideas and mutual learning about the field of environmental conflict resolution among government representatives, non-governmental organizations, tribal nations and members, community based groups, environmental advocates, corporate entities, resource managers and users, private individuals, and professionals in the conflict resolution, mediation and consensus building fields.

For ECR conference program information and registration materials,

please follow this link:

http://www.ecr.gov/ecr.asp?link=607

 Family Section

The Family Section is anticipating a very strong turnout for its 2008 Bi-Annual Conference: Building Bridges, Moving Mountains. The conference will be in Park City, Utah over the dates of July 24-27, so mark your calendars now.

For more information about the conference, including a full conference brochure with schedule and speaker/presenter info and a registration form, please refer to the NEW Family Section Website: www.acrfamilysection.org. Make your reservations early for this magnificent conference (early bird rates are only available through June 8th). This location is unbeatable for your summer vacation.

The Family Section Teleseminar Series continues to provide terrific content on a monthly basis. The teleseminars are free for Section members and are held on the first Wednesday of every month from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT. To join us, go the NEW Family Section Website: www.acrfamilysection.org. You will be able to access instructions and recordings of past teleseminars within the members-only pages.

 Spirituality Section

The Spirituality Section is on the Move!

The Spirituality Section is growing in membership, and we have several exciting projects that are creating opportunities for both new and existing members.

Committees are forming to plan our fourth annual Rocky Mountain Retreat, to be held February 13-16, 2009 in Estes Park, CO. The Rocky Mountain Retreat also hosts the Spirituality Section’s annual mid-year meeting.

The Spirituality Section is also forming a caring committee to reach out to support ACR members in times of need; and a welcoming committee for new Spirituality Section members is also underway.

The Spirituality Section will be hosting a full day pre-conference institute at the ACR annual conference in Austin, TX. This year’s institute will feature a morning session connecting self to soul; and in the afternoon we will explore the connection of humor to conflict with an improvisational comedy workshop.

Our free monthly teleconferences continue to be a success. Last month’s teleconference featured William Ury, and our May teleconference is with David Hall, titled “The Spiritual Revitalization of the Legal Profession – A Search for Sacred Rivers.”

For further information, please visit the Spirituality Section’s website at www.ACRnet.org.

 Workplace Section

1)  WPS Mid-Year Meeting and Special Career Building Workshop:

New Horizons in Organizational Conflict Management

June 6-7, 2008

Co-Sponsored by

ADR-San Diego & ACR WORKPLACE Section

and located at the

National University SPECTRUM Campus-San Diego, CA

To register and for more information, see:

http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/.

The Workplace Section of ACR

in partnership with

The Scheinman Institute for Conflict Resolution at Cornell University

proudly present

a first-time ever opportunity for new and advancing ADR neutrals.

Building a Viable ADR Practice

Are you ready to make ADR a business and career?

(HURRY! Enrollment limited to 20)

Saturday, June 7th

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

at

National University Spectrum Campus

San Diego, CA

NOTE:  The “Building a Viable ADR Practice” workshop is held concurrently with

Day Two (Saturday, June 7) of the 2-day workshop for mediators &

arbitrators. Participants may join the reception on Friday evening, June 6

for networking and learning opportunities.

For more program details, lodging, and to download the registration forms,

go to http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/

2) May WPS Tele-Seminar

Wednesday May 21st, 12:00 p.m. EDT, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time

"A Systems Approach to Conflict Management."

Presented by Deborah Katz and Carole Houk

Workplace Section members will receive an announcement with the call-in number and access code. If you are not a member, please consider joining for ONLY $15. For more information Click here or contact  jill@moscowitzmediation.com.

3) Conflict Coaching Subcommittee

TWO INTERESTING PRONGS OF CONFLICT COACHING: APPLICATIONS AND MARKETING

The Workplace Section's Subcommittee on Conflict Coaching, invites you to join the next teleconference on Thursday, May 15, 2008 from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EDT, for our next dynamic discussion.

Several members will share how they apply conflict coaching in the workplace and also, how they market this process. The presentations will be followed by a question and answer period. For call-in number, contact Jill@moscowitzmediation.com.

For further information on ACR's Conflict Coaching Subcommittee, and the newly created ACR Yahoo Group on Conflict Coaching, please contact Cinnie Noble, Chair of the Subcommittee at cinnie@cinergycoaching.com or by telephone (toll free) 866-335-6466.

To learn more or to join this committee, contact Cinnie Noble at cinnie@cinergycoaching.com.

4) Call for Articles for WPS Newsletter

CALL FOR ARTICLES   

The ACR WORKPLACE Section Newsletter is a quarterly publication dedicated to enhancing the practice and public understanding of conflict resolution in workplace settings.

We are currently seeking newsletter articles for the upcoming newsletter and invite your submission of relevant articles to support the mission of the Section. The theme for the upcoming WPS newsletter is Interest Based Negotiation (IBN), Arbitration, and Federal Sector. Articles are due by April 28th for a publication date of May 5th.

Article Guidelines:

• Article Length: 250-400 words, up to 1000 words for featured article

• Author’s release required; to be forwarded for signature upon acceptance of article

• ACR Workplace Section retains editorial rights for final selection and editing.

• For examples on past newsletters, visit www.mediate.com/acrworkplace.

To submit your article or for more information, please contact Linda Goodman, Newsletter Co-Editor at lgoodman@ihrc.idaho.gov.

5) Call for Volunteers

WPS members who would like to get more involved with our thriving section, should contact Debra Dupree at debradupree@relationshipsthatmatter.com.

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Arizona Chapter 

1.   The Arizona chapter is holding its annual meeting on May 10^th:

When:             Saturday, May 10, 2008

Location:         Phoenix School of Law, 4041 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ

Time:              10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (business meeting, election and program)

Lunch :           12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (lunch and networking hosted by AACR)

Program:        “Busting the Office Bully: Understanding the Interactional Dynamics of Bullying in

                       the Workplace,” presented by Professor Janet (Jess) Alberts and Sarah J.

                       Tracey 

A look at research findings on the prevalence of bullying, information about what bullying feels like and looks like, and how targets can best narratively describe their bullying in order to effect change among decision-makers, with interactive activity and discussion.

Presenters: Janet Alberts is President’s Professor of human communication and has been a faculty member in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication since 1989. Currently she serves as Co-Director of the Conflict Transformation Project and Associate Director for Research Development at the Institute for Social Science Research. 

Sarah J. Tracey is a professor, daughter, triathlete, researcher, aunt, graduate director, volunteer, writer, and animal-lover. Her recent workplace bullying scholarship with Drs. Janet K. Alberts and Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik has garnered regional and national media attention. Dr. Tracy is co-author of the book Leading Organizations Through Transition, and has presented and published her work internationally.  

2.   The Arizona chapter produced a program in February titled Mediation Meets Immigration which was videotaped by AACR member Walter Marcus. The program will be shown during the month of May in Tucson on Access Tucson's TV stations. For those not in Tucson, it will be available on streaming internet by going to www.accesstucson.org, and then going to the tab "now playing" and clicking on "watch now." The program will be televised on May 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, and 29. The times alternate each day, 10:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m., and the channel is 73 or 74 if you have Comcast and 98 or 99 if you have Cox. Go to the chapter website for more information.  

 Central California Chapter

Celebration of Student Mediators in Central California

On May 18th, over 1,000 student mediators, from ages 10 to 25, will join the Grizzlies Baseball Team at the Chuckchansi Park in Fresno California. They will parade with their teachers and families around the outfield to home plate and will then be seated at the game using tickets donated by community businesses and foundations. The purpose of the game is to honor the mediators’ service to their schools and to raise community awareness of the importance of Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) for life! The event is a fundraiser for California State University Fresno’s MEDIATOR MENTORS program which pairs future helping professionals with peer mediation programs in the local elementary and middle schools.

 Greater New York Chapter

SAVE THE DATE!!!!

UPCOMING EVENT:

JUNE 26-27                             ACRGNY Sixth Annual Conference

The Annual Conference will be held at Cardozo School of Law, 55 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.

 Hawaii Chapter

On April 24, 2008, the Hawaii Chapter, in collaboration with the ADR Section of HSBA held a judges’ roundtable to discuss best practices during court ordered mediations. We were very thankful to 7 members of our judiciary who attended the session. Divided into 4 roundtables, each with a facilitator and a judge, the small groups held discussions with the judges and generated a list summarizing difficult scenarios and how to respond to them, as well as best practices. The roundtable was followed by an optional dinner.

The Chapter has had on-going work to gather member input to our strategic plan. We’ve held two informal, open invitations to our members and luncheons to solicit member input. Two more are planned as part of our strategic plan development effort. 

On May 13, 2008, the preliminary draft of the strategic plan will be presented to our board. The plan will address the current year in detail and subsequent years in terms of objectives as well as the Chapter Mission and Vision. The same evening will include a Chapter Members Meeting with a discussion on the interface between mediation and arbitration.

Preliminary discussions are taking place on holding a “social” for Chapter members and their guests to watch a July 4th fireworks display on the Kaneohe side of Oahu.

Our membership renewal drive is scheduled to end by the board and membership meeting on May 13^th.

 Texas - Houston Chapter

ACR’s President, Marilyn McKnight, will appear in a town hall meeting co-sponsored by the South Texas College of Law and the Houston Chapter of ACR on May 20, 2008.

A reception honoring Marilyn McKnight will be held at 5:00 p.m. and the town hall meeting will be held in the Garrett Townes Auditorium at 6:15 p.m.

Location: 1303 San Jacinto Street, Houston, TX 77002

For more information contact Connie Barnaba, President of the ACR Houston Chapter, at (281) 444-9107 or cbarnaba2647@sbcglobal.net.

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ACR MEMBERS: Take advantage of your valuable members-only benefits today! Access to the full Membership Directory Reduced Rates on Professional Liability Insurance CRQ Online: Access ACR's academic journal online anytime 20% off Purchases from BNA Books and Jossey-Bass publications Discounts on Medical Insurance, Hertz Car Rental and buymagazines.com and much more... Log in to the Online Member Center today and get started!

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Donate Now! You can make donations to ACR's Annual Fund Campaign online. Click here to learn how you can make an important investment in ACR's future.

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Conflict Dynamics Profile® (CDP) Certification Workshops

coming to the Northeast

Become a Certified User of the CDP

v     Add another valuable tool as an ADR practitioner and professional

v     Explore the value of the CDP in mediation agreements

v     Learn and practice coaching skills to give CDP feedback

v     Identify skills to develop leaders and managers who manage conflict productively

v     Explore the usefulness of the CDP for organizations to develop a conflict competent

      workforce

Workshop participants are certified to use the CDP by Eckerd College Leadership Development Institute.

One Day Workshop in New York City, Thursday, June 19, 2008

Presenter:  Rita Callahan is a mediator, trainer, facilitator, conflict coach, consultant and national speaker. She is an ACR Advanced Practitioner in Workplace Mediation, a Master Trainer in the CDP, and has a Master’s in Decision Science. For more information, call 646-438-9899 or 404-808-9339, e-mail rcallahan@mindspring.com, or see www.medite.com/rcallahan.

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Advertise in ACR Update!

Reach 5,500+ conflict resolution enthusiasts with your advertising message. A 10-line, 100-word, text ad costs just $150! For more information, contact ACR at tlankford@acrnet.org.

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ACR Update Archives

Association for Conflict Resolution
5151 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20016
Tel.: 202-464-9700
Fax: 202-464-9720
E-mail: membership@acrnet.org
Web: http://www.ACRnet.org
Copyright 2008, Association for Conflict Resolution