Thomas F. Gibbons
Thomas F. Gibbons is the Dean of Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, and a Senior Lecturer with Northwestern’s School of Law. Tom, a labor and employment attorney who practiced law in Chicago, has more than 20 years of experience in the field of dispute resolution. He is a mediator with extensive experience doing employment and business mediations, as well as serving as a neutral for clergy-abuse personal injury litigation over the past dozen years. Tom is also a seasoned labor and employment arbitrator, and is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. He serves on panels for the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, the Illinois Labor Department, and many permanent employment panels. Tom has taught ADR to undergraduate, graduate and law students, and has won three Northwestern University teaching awards. He is the past president of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Chicago Chapter, and the past chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. He is also the past president of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association, and is the 2014–15 Innovation Fellow for the Washington, D.C.-based professional association. Tom earned his undergraduate degree at Fordham University, a master’s from Drew University, and holds law degrees from Yale Law School and DePaul’s College of Law.
Gururaj Kumar
Gururaj Kumar has provided workplace conflict coaching, listening and problem solving, mediation, conciliation, group facilitation, and group participation processes to multiple public and private organizations for the past 20+ years. He specializes in coaching leaders and teams, delivering leadership and management development programs, managing workplace conflict, conducting organizational assessments, diversity and inclusion (D&I), and facilitating large and small group retreats and consensus building processes. Currently, he is an Organizational Resilience Advisor with the KonTerra Group; providing conflict management, organizational effectiveness, and leadership development at the USAID Staff Care Program. From 2018 – 2021, Gururaj was a Communication & Solutions Specialist (CSS) with TSA’s Communication & Solutions Program (CSP) where he conducted over 60 multi-party facilitations, 400+ hours of listening and conflict coaching/coaching sessions, and 20+ Leadership Retreats and facilitated team sessions. He has also provided conflict management services as a Disaster ADR Advisor with FEMA at Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Harvey. In 2013, Gururaj was one of 20 people from around the world awarded a three-month mid-career professional development fellowship conducted by Rotary International in International Peace and Development in Bangkok, Thailand. He holds a BA in History and Psychology from the University of Michigan and earned his MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and a graduate certificate in Organizational Change Management from American University in Washington DC.
Connie Meyer
Connie Meyer is a facilitator, mediator, and coach with over 15 years of experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution. After earning an M.A. in intercultural conflict management from Lesley University, Connie went on to work for two spin-offs of the Harvard Negotiation Project – first on the non-profit, international-conflict side, and then for many years as an instructor and coach for corporate managers and executives. Her corporate work has spanned multiple industries and focused on skills for effective negotiation, communication, and influence. Currently, Connie works to advance cooperation across lines of religious difference as a curriculum development consultant at Interfaith America. She is twice-certified as a mediator and underwent advanced negotiation and mediation training at Harvard Law School. She logged hundreds of hours as a mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Chicago and has frequently served as a coach for mediators-in-training. Connie earned her B.A. in international studies and history from Northwestern.
Thomas P. Valenti is an attorney, mediator, arbitrator facilitator and trainer practicing in Chicago. Tom has more than 40 years’ experience in civil litigation with more than 20 years of experience focused on mediation. He serves on panels for the American Arbitration Association, FINRA, USCIB, CPR, New ADR, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He also serves on many other dispute resolution panels. He has been extensively trained in all aspects of dispute resolution. Tom has an interest in understanding the issues raised with cross-cultural disputes. He organizes and facilitates dialogues on multicultural issues. He has travelled to the UK, Dubai, India and Europe to train and teach courses in Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration. He is a Founder and Director of Association for International Dispute Resolution, and he is also an organizer of the Global Youth Development Initiative, a multicultural virtual mentoring program for international students living in conflict zones. Tom is a member of the ABA and a member of the Section on International Law where he serves as a Vice -Chair of the Lawyers Abroad Committee. And a of member International Mediation Committee, as well as the Dispute Resolution Section; the ISBA and CBA- Member - Dispute Resolution Committee, He is also a Member of the International Bar Association, Mediation Committee. Tom earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College and law degree from DePaul College of Law.
Mac Steele is a People & Culture Partner with Rotary International in Evanston, Illinois, and an alternative dispute resolution trainer, facilitator, and practitioner with more than 10 years of experience in the field. He assists people involved in small claims, family, school, and business disputes. His background encompasses a variety of conflict resolution methods, including mediation (facilitative, transformative, and evaluative), large-group facilitation, coaching, and restorative justice. Steele has worked for and trained through New York City’s Safe Horizon Mediation Program (now the New York Peace Institute) and Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution. He earned a BA in arts administration at Western Michigan University and a master of public administration degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.