About

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Sonoma County after graduating from UC Davis with a B.A. in Sociology. I worked in the medical device field in research and regulatory affairs and then in the non-profit sector. But I longed to be in a profession where I could help people in a more direct way. The law seemed like a perfect fit, so I obtained my law degree from Empire College School of Law and passed the California Bar Exam in 2005. Not long after, the Superior Court hired me as a research attorney.

Throughout my 15 years working for the court, I watched case after case march through the legal system. While researching these cases, I would often see that amicable solutions existed to resolve the dispute, but being human was getting in the way. I came to understand that when people have resorted to protecting themselves and their rights in court, they are deeply threatened and usually convinced that the legal system is the best - or only way - out of a situation. Naturally, they want to win "the case" and be vindicated. This is perfectly human but it ends up driving all the decisions and interactions the parties make along the way. Tunnel vision takes over. What is truly driving the conflict might not be recognized or acknowledged simply because it doesn't fit into a legal context or call for a legal solution. I want to help shift that perspective in order to broaden people's options. That includes conflict management coaching. It is a natural companion to mediation but even more accessible because both parties don't need to come to the table. Only you need to decide to do it!

Conflict Management & Resolution Training:

Conflict Management Coaching Workshop, Cinergy Coaching
Training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution with Ken Cloke
Mediation Intensive Training Program, The Center for Understanding in Conflict
Community Mediation Training, Recourse Mediation
Resolving Local Government and Land Use Disputes, Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
Advanced Mediation Training Seminar, Global Majority and Monterey College of Law
Dealing with Emotions that Interfere with Constructive Mediation, Mandell-Gisnett Center for Conflict Management
Mediator Impartiality in a Multi-Cultural World, Mandell-Gisnett Center for Conflict Management

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