VMN 2025 Fall Conference Agenda

Friday, October 3, 2025  IN-PERSON

Conference Registration Desk

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Location: Lobby

Check-in and receive your conference badge.

Ethics: Lighting the Way 

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (2hrs CME Ethics, MCLE Ethics pending)

Speakers: 

Ken Rosenbaum, Principal | Sylvan Environmental Consultants

Elizabeth Cheney, Appellate Mediation Program Coordinator | District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Jennifer GartlanChief, ADR Unit | US Office of Special Counsel

Mac Reed, Lawyer | The McGavock Reed Law Firm

Reception & Keynote by Justice William C. Mims (ret.)

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Location: Chesterfield

Join us for a cocktail reception and Keynote with Justice William C. Mims (ret.), Supreme Court of Virginia

Saturday, October 4, 2025   IN-PERSON

Continental Breakfast

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Location: Madison, 3rd Floor

Conference Registration Desk

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Location: Lobby

Meet & Greet for New Members

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM


CONCURRENT SESSION 1A: Dealing with Angry People

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (1hr CME pending)

Speaker:

Doug Spoors, President |VMN

CONCURRENT SESSION 2A: The Transformative Role of Visual Art in Peacemaking

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (1hr CME pending)

Speaker:

Soo Paek, PhD Student | George Mason University


CONCURRENT SESSION 3A: Genograms: How may they may be useful in mediation

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (1hr CME pending)

Speaker:

Noel LevanFamily Mediator, Parenting Educator | Fairfield Mediation Center & What'll Work Family Mediation

CONCURRENT SESSION 1B: Must Mediated Agreements Be Fair?

10:15 AM – 11:45 AM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Charles "Chips" LicksonFounder, Principal and Senior Neutral |Conflict Management Consortium

CONCURRENT SESSION 2B: Tactical Mindfulness for Mediators

10:15 AM – 11:45 AM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Breyette LorntzFounder and Director of Vision and Practice | Lanterns Mediation

CONCURRENT SESSION 3B: Becoming a Restorative Lawyer: How to Transform Your Legal Practice for Client, Self, and Community Growth

10:15 AM – 12:15 AM (2hrs CME and MCLE pending)

Brenda WaughAttorney and Mediator | Waugh Law and Mediation


Lunch & Annual Meeting

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Location: Madison, 3rd Floor


CONCURRENT SESSION 1C: Common Difficulties in Mediating Equitable Distribution in Virginia

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2hrs CME and MCLE pending)

Speaker:

Hon. Jeannette Irby (ret.), Judge | Juridical Solutions, PLC

CONCURRENT SESSION 2C: Put Wind in Your Sails by Thinking Profit in a Non-Profit World!

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Chuck Boles, Professor of Justice Studies & Certified Mediator | MediatorChuck.com

CONCURRENT SESSION 3C:  Designing Mediation and Conflict Resolution Training with AI

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Breyette LorntzFounder and Director of Vision and Practice | Lanterns Mediation

Sunday, October 5, 2025   NO SESSIONS

Monday, October 6, 2025   VIRTUAL

Dispute Resolution Resources for Rejection, Estrangement, and Relationship Rehabilitation

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (1hr CME pending)

Speaker:

Dan Berstein, Founder | MH Mediate

Navigate the Ombuds World

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Sarah Atif, University Ombudsperson | George Mason University


Tuesday, October 7, 2025   VIRTUAL

Highlighting the transformative mediation approach: Its relevance to family conflict in South Africa

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Monique Carels, Lecturer | University of Cape Town

Divorce Mortgage Planning: Guiding the Homeowner’s Journey to Resolution

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (2hrs CME and MCLE pending)

Speaker:

Jody Bruns, President & Founder | Divorce Lending Association

Partnering for Peace: How Divorce Coaching and Mediation Work Together to Empower Clients

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speakers:

Laura GordonDivorce Coach I Court-Certified Family Mediator | Laura Gordon, LLC

Janelle Webb, Divorce & Co-Parenting Coach | Reimagined Horizons

Wednesday, October 8, 2025   VIRTUAL

Building a Mediation Practice: Strategy, Systems, and Sustainability

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (2hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

AJ MaddenyFounder | Aether Mediation LLC

Forgiveness: Unlocking the Possibilities

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Eileen BarkerMediator, Forgiveness Educator | Forgiveness Training Institute

Thursday, October 9, 2025   VIRTUAL

Lighting the Way: The Raising Kids Together Turbocharged Living Scale (RKT-TLS)

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Breyette LorntzFounder and Director of Vision and Practice | Lanterns Mediation

Full Circle Feedback Forum: Community Engagement

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (1hr CME pending)

Speaker:

Kimberly Jackson Davidson, University Ombudsperson | George Mason University


Friday, October 10, 2025   VIRTUAL

AI - AI - oh! How AI Can Assist My Mediation Practice

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speakers:

Clare Fowler, Vice-President | Mediate.com

Colin Rule, President & CEO | Mediate.com

Alternative Dispute Resolution in our School Systems

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)

Speaker:

Dr. Bonnie-Jéan Brown, CEO | The Path to Well-Being, LLC

CONCLUSION OF CONFERENCE EDUCATION SESSIONS
(Note: Conference sessions subject to change.)


Disclaimer as to Presentations and Materials at VMN Conference: While the Virginia Mediation Network strives to make the information presented at our conference as informative, neutral, accurate and timely as possible, VMN makes no endorsement of, promises about, guarantees or opinions related to the accuracy, adequacy or protected ownership of the contents of the presentations.  Any opinions expressed by a presenter, whether or not a member of VMN, shall not be considered the opinion of the organization itself. Reference to any specific commercial product, process or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the attendees, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Mediation Network.


The Virginia Mediation Network is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization.

Disclaimer of Liability and Endorsement: While the Virginia Mediation Network strives to make the information on this website as informative, neutral, accurate and timely as possible, VMN makes no endorsement of, promises about, guarantees or opinions related to the accuracy or adequacy of the contents of the third-party seminars.  VMN expressly disclaims any liability for the content of said presentations.  Any opinions expressed by third-party presenters, whether members of VMN or not, are not expressed as the opinion of the organization itself. Reference on this website to any specific commercial product, process or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Mediation Network.

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