Friday, September 25, 2026 (In-Person)

Conference Registration

2:30-4:00pm

An Interactive Presentation of Ethical Standards for Certified Mediators and Attorneys

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Presenter: Norman Thomas
1.5 hours pending approval for Ethics CME/MCLE

Reception & Keynote Address

5:15-6:15pm
Keynote address: Dean Alpaslan Özerdem

Saturday, September 26, 2026 (In-Person)

Follow the Yellow Brick Road… Mediation Lessons from The Wizard of Oz

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Presenter: Douglas Spoors
1.0 hour pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Bridging the Gap: Working Effectively with Foreign Language Interpreters

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Presenter: Aimee Sullivan
1.0 hour pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Retirement Divisions in Divorce (Part 1)

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Presenter: Jessica Markum
1.0 hour pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

Retirement Divisions in Divorce (Part 2)

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Jessica Markum
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

Becoming a Consumer-Centric Practitioner

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Chuck Boles
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

What Virginia Law Reveals About Mediator Competence

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenters: Breyette Lorntz & Madeline J. Starbranch
1.5 hours pending approval for Ethics CME/MCLE

VMN Annual Meeting and Awards Lunch

12:00 PM - 1:45 PM

Navigating the Nuances of Neutrality

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Presenter: Andrea Palmisano
1.5 hours approved Non-ethics CME

Breaking the Frame: A Dynamic Multi-Dimensional Approach to Mediation

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Brenda Waugh
2.0 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

Family Law Session

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: TBA
2.0 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

Monday, September 28, 2026 (Virtual)

A Bill of Rights and Complaint Process Empowering ADR Parties

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenter: Dan Berstein
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Restorative Justice as an ADR Tool

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Presenter: Sarah Atif
2.0 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

“Clean” Communication among Disputants, Attorneys and Mediators: Neurophysiology, Stress and I-Message-based Communication Skills

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Noel Levan
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (Virtual)

Pre-Mediation Divorce Coaching: Helping Mediators Improve Outcomes

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenter: Allison McFadden
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

The Algorithm Made a Mistake: Mediating the Rise of AI-Driven Disputes

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Presenter: Susan Guthrie
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME/MCLE

Trauma-Informed vs. Resilience-Aware Mediation

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Breyette Lorntz
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (Virtual)

Ethics: Mediators, Attorneys, and Doing the Right Thing

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Presenter: Ken Rosenbaum, Jennifer Gartlan, and Mac Reed
2.0 hours pending approval for Ethics CME/MCLE

An Introduction to Consensus Building

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Presenters: Frank Dukes & Julie Minde
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Community Mediation in Virginia: The Facts, the Fiction, and the Fortitude

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenters: Christine Poulsen & Community Mediation Center Executive Directors
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Thursday, October 1, 2026 (Virtual)

The Mediator in the Age of Technology & AI: Ethics, Risks, and Responsibilities

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Presenters: Dan Wassink, Karen Richards, Sara Arthur, Donita King, Esq., Sara McAllister, Daniel Rainey, and Pamela Struss
2.0 hours pending approval for Ethics CME/MCLE

Mediator–Attorney Referrals: Building Ethical, Clear, and Effective Coordination Practices

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Presenters: Breyette Lorntz & Michael B. Davis
1.5 hours pending approval for Ethics CME/MCLE

Stick and Stones May Break My Bones But Names Can Hurt Me? + Other Challenging Issues

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Pamela Struss
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Friday, October 2, 2026 (Virtual)

Police Complaint Mediation: A Transformative Process Under Institutional Constraints

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Presenter: AJ Maddeny
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Let's Be Safe Out There: New Guidance for Physically Safe and Bias-Resistant Conflict Resolution

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Presenter: Stephen Kotev
1.0 hour pending approval for Non-ethics CME

How Conflict Affects our REM and RAM

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Clare Fowler
1.5 hours pending approval for Non-ethics CME

Speaker details will be added in the near future. 

Session Formats & Credit Eligibility

All accepted sessions must be suitable for Continuing Mediation Education (CME) and/or Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).

Presenters will be offered one of the following: a $100 discount on conference registration fees; a $100 honorarium; or recognition as a sponsor of the conference (includes name/ company on virtual event homepage & on VMN website throughout conference).

Delivery format:

• In-Person: interactive, hands-on, role-play, discussion-rich
  
• Virtual: lecture-style, subject-matter deep dives, screen-sharing, tech-supported learning
  

Session lengths:

• CME-eligible sessions: 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours
  
• MCLE-eligible sessions (Virginia Bar): 1 hour, 2 hours (Note: 1.5-hour sessions are only eligible for 1-hour of MCLE credit)
  

Presentation formats may include:

• Individual presenters
  
• Co-presenters (duos)
  
• Panels
  
• Interactive workshops
  

All formats are welcome, provided the session content is structured to meet CME and/or MCLE requirements, including clear learning objectives and substantive educational content.

Possible Session Topics

These ideas are to spark imagination and are not a restrictive list. Additional ideas are provided below.

Family and Circuit Court Practice (divorce-focused)

• Parenting plan development workshops
  
• Retirement and pension division, including military and federal benefits
  
• Navigating pro se parties and court paperwork
  
• Tax and financial considerations in divorce mediation
  
• Complex case simulations and drills
  

Technology, AI, and Online Practice

• AI prompt development and hands-on practice
  
• Online dispute resolution (ODR) and hybrid mediation scenarios
  
• Evaluating AI-generated summaries and draft agreements
  
• Platform training (Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet advanced features)
  
• AI ethics, confidentiality, and professional responsibility
  

Skills, Strategies, and Process Design

• High-conflict mediation techniques and role-play
  
• Agreement drafting workshops
  
• Pre-mediation coaching strategies
  
• Reframing, summarizing, and sequencing practice
  
• Multi-party negotiation and process design exercises
  
• Dispute systems design and institutional ADR (courts, agencies, universities, schools, and organizations)
  

Submission Requirements – complete the fillable PDF Proposal Form and ADR2001 form (including any items requested in the ADR2001) and return by April 30, 2026.

We request the following information:

• Presenter name(s) and affiliation(s)
  
• Session title
  
• Session length (1 hr, 1.5 hrs, or 2 hrs)
  
• CME and/or MCLE eligibility (select one or both)
  
• Ethics or Non-Ethics
  
• Intended target audience (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, All Levels)
  
• Availability for:  In-Person, Virtual, Both (sessions may be proposed as workshops, practice labs, or lecture-style deep dives—more technical or subject matter-focused content may be especially appropriate for the virtual week)
  
• Brief session description (150–250 words)
  
• 3–5 learning objectives
  
• Brief bio(s)
  

The call for proposals for the VMN 2027 Fall Conference will go out early Spring 2027.