(Chesterfield)

Demetrice A. Davis is currently with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office in the Consumer Protection Section of the Civil Litigation Division. She started as a dispute resolution specialist in December 2012 and became the Unit Manager in September 2016. In August of 2017 Demetrice took on the additional role of managing the Counseling, Intake and Referral Unit.  She has twenty years of experience in various roles of the private and public sector providing alternative dispute resolution options. Demetrice has been certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to provide general mediation services and is a registered mediator with the Virginia Department of Human Resources Management’s Office of Employee Dispute Resolution. She has been a member of VMN since 2015.

Demetrice joined the VMN board in 2020.  She serves on the Membership Committee. 

(Leesburg)

Kristen is a Partner at the law firm of Schwartz Kalina, PLLC in Leesburg, Virginia, as well as owner and principal at KMK Mediation Group, LLC, also located in Leesburg. In addition to a thriving law practice, Kristen has built a mediation practice where she does private family cases, as well as court-appointed family mediations in Clarke and Frederick counties and Winchester city.

Kristen has a Bachelors degree from The Ohio State University in Political Science ('89) and a Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School ('92), where she was a member of the Law Review.  Kristen has done in excess of 200 mediations, public and private combined and is certified by the Virginia Supreme Court to mediate Circuit Court Family cases, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court cases and General District Court cases.  Kristen is also Supreme Court certified Mediator Mentor.   

Kristen serves as Chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Elections, appointed by the 20th Judicial Circuit Court for 3 consecutive terms.  Kristen is married with 2 daughters, 3 dogs and 2 horses and lives in Hamilton, Virginia.

Kristen is in her second term on the VMN Board where she has served since 2019.  She is Chairman of the Bylaws & Legislative Committee.  She also serves on the Conference Planning Committee. 

(Chesterfield)

Brenda is the past Executive Director of the CMG Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, and a Certified Mediator. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of CMG, Brenda was a consultant to CMG Foundation providing strategic advice regarding organizational design, process analytics, and board development to set the stage for future growth. She is very interested in developing collaborative partnerships and relationships that can further enhance the visibility and good works of mediation.

Brenda has experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors, working for over thirty years in the financial services industry with Fortune 500 companies. She served as a manager and internal consultant to senior executives in the securities industry where her counsel centered around two key areas—maximize existing operations and, secondly, to help develop the roadmap for future growth. She also has strong experience in the development and execution of strategic initiatives. Brenda has been active in the nonprofit sector, receiving the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009, and has served on the Board of Directors of Offender Aid & Restoration of Richmond since 2011.

Brenda has served on the VMN Board since 2017, and she is on the Membership and Bylaws & Legislative Committees. 

(Staunton)

Christine Poulson is the Executive Director of Resolution Virginia where she advocates for the expanded use of community-based dispute resolution and coordinates the Virginia Trust Network.  

Christine earned a master’s degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University to prepare herself to more adequately assist with issue affecting communities at home and abroad.  While earning that degree she worked with the Mountain Institute in Franklin, WV on a project linking people in mountain communities worldwide.

After serving as a private mediator in Blacksburg, VA, Christine became the Executive Director of the Conflict Resolution Center in Roanoke.  There she mediated for all levels of court, for the United States Postal Service, and for the Department of Forestry.  She trained hundreds of people in conflict resolution skills, including incarcerated women at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women, and taught leadership and conflict resolution at Virginia Tech.  Her favorite work involves bringing groups of people together to discuss difficult issues. 

Christine currently resides in and runs the statewide association of not-for-profit dispute resolution centers, Resolution Virginia, from the beautiful city of Staunton, VA.  She has two children who attend Staunton City Schools and was elected to the school board where she has the opportunity to use her dispute resolution skills to assist with controversial issues.  Christine also serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County.

Christine joined the VMN Board in 2020, and she chairs the Membership Committee. 

Amy joined the VMN Board in 2021, and she co-chairs the Webinars Committee with Ray Schmidt.

(Round Hill)

Raymond Schmidt is a Virginia General District and Circuit Court certified mediator, mentor and trainer with over 22 years of experience in mediation and ADR. Ray became a mediator in 1999 and has mediated many court-referred and private civil cases. Recently retired, Ray has over 39 years of senior level Human Resources experience in both union and non-union manufacturing and health care workplaces. As the company spokesperson during collective bargaining negotiations and arbitrations, he has acquired extensive experience in dealing with a myriad of employee and management conflicts and issues including a rare successful union decertification election in a heavily unionized industry.

Ray received his BBA from Temple University, Philadelphia. He also received the Senior Professional Human Resources certification (SPHR) from the Human Resources Institute and the SCP certification from the Society of Human Resources Management, SHRM. Ray has also received certification as a Management Coach and Employee Relations Specialist. Throughout his career he has been an “internal adjunct educator” providing positive employment training for all levels of leadership. In the last 3 years of employment he was the lead for transitioning his previous employer on a journey of formal recognition of being an Employer of Choice; by Fortune 500’s Top 500 employers.  He practices in Northern Virginia, primarily in the City of Winchester, Frederick County, Warren County, and Shenandoah.  He previously practiced in the Hampton Roads area.

Ray joined the VMN Board in 2021, and he co-chairs the Webinars Committee with Amy Pruett.

(Henrico)

C. Michael (Mike) Schnurman, Jr. is the Legislative Liaison for the County of Henrico in central Virginia. He develops and coordinates Henrico's annual legislative program and represents its interests at both the state and federal level. A decorated United States Marine Corps veteran of the Persian Gulf War, Mike has previously served as Legislative Assistant to the Virginia Senate Majority Leader and as Special Assistant to the Director for Government Relations at the National White Collar Crime Center.

Mike earned a Bachelor of Applied Studies degree from the University of Richmond and received a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a 2011 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, and a 2012 graduate of the International Business Certificate Program at VCU.

Mike is certified as a family mediator by the Virginia Supreme Court. He also assists the mediation community with government relations. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center and is a member of the Resolution Virginia Advisory Council. 

Mike has served on the VMN Board since 2018.  

(Williamsburg)

Douglas Spoors is an attorney, mediator, author and trainer. He currently serves as the EEO Education/ADR Manager for the Navy Exchange Service Command in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Previously, he served two years on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Mediation Association, and three years on SCMA’s Outreach Committee.  During his tenure with SCMA, he was the Chair of the Outreach Committee’s Public Outreach Video Project, producing a promotional video for the SCMA Speaker’s Bureau.  He currently serves on the Climate Change Project for Mediators Beyond Borders, and is the Chair of the CCP’s Outreach Subcommittee.

Prior to relocating to Virginia, he served as mediator/conciliator for the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution, a community mediation service sponsored by the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California.  He is the founder of the Institute for Mixed Method Mediation and author of the book Mixed Method Mediation: A Hybrid Approach to Conflict Resolution.

Doug joined the VMN Board in 2021, and he chairs the Outreach Committee. 

(Salem)

Henry Yampolsky is a mediator, educator, author, and TEDx speaker. Henry’s critically acclaimed book, Dis-Solving Conflict from Within: an Inner Path for Conflict Transformation explores how mindfulness can transform even the most challenging interactions into opportunities for growth, connection, and dialogue. Henry serves as the Assistant Director for Education, Outreach, and Conflict Resolution at Virginia Tech’s Office for Equity and Accessibility and teaches Mediation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Building as part of Virginia Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Henry has taught and lectured around the world, including at: Columbia University School of Law, the New York Peace Institute, Bellevue Mediation (Zurich, Switzerland), the National Museum of American Jewish History, Bharathiar University (Coimbatore, India) and the International Gandhi Center and Museum in New Delhi. Before embarking on a path in peacebuilding, Henry was a trial lawyer in Philadelphia. He holds a JD from Temple University and a BS from the University of Scranton. Henry is also a Master-level instructor of Sattva Yoga, trained in Rishikesh, India. He is often on his motorcycle in the mountains of Southwest Virginia.

Henry joined the VMN Board in 2021.