Through engaging discussions and activities, we'll explore:

• How to cultivate authentic, lasting professional partnerships.
• Ways to leverage relationships to expand your network and mediation opportunities.
• The role of collaboration in delivering better outcomes for clients.

Embracing the warmth and spirit of Valentine’s Day, this event will foster a supportive environment where you can connect, share insights, and leave inspired to strengthen the bonds that enhance your mediation practice.Who Should Attend: Mediators, conflict resolution professionals, and related service providers looking to network, share strategies, and grow their practice.Come prepared to exchange ideas, make meaningful connections, and leave with actionable tools to build a network that benefits both your practice and your clients!

John Duffy

John Duffy is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® professional. His belief in the value of service extends to his personal and professional life, where he strives to assist others through their personal journeys.

Having gone through his own divorce in 2006, John understands the complexities of such transitions.Despite challenges, including co-parenting two young daughters, he emerged from this experience with a deep empathy for those navigating similar paths. This led him to establish Zen Divorce Solutions to provide financial guidance and support to couples and individuals facing divorce.

Professionally, John is a member of various industry organizations such as serving as an Ambassador for the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA), board member of Collaborative Practice of California(CPCal), and the member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). He contributes to these groups through participation in focus groups, speaking engagements, podcasts, and authoring blogs.

John's commitment to service and support, combined with his diverse experiences, positions him as acompassionate and knowledgeable guide for those facing the challenges of divorce and financial planning.

Melinda Feldman

Melinda Feldman is a skilled mediator specializing in business and real estate disputes. With over 25 years in the real estate industry, she understands the complexities of buying, selling, and leasing properties.

Mediation is a non-adversarial process where parties work together to reach a mutually agreeable resolution without litigation. As a mediator, Melinda guides individuals and businesses through disputes efficiently, leveraging her deep expertise in business contracts, real estate transactions, and industry practices to help clients save time and money.

Carolyn Jacobs

Carolyn Jacobs is a Certified Divorce Coach, Co-Parenting Specialist, mama, and writer living in Los Angeles. As a coach, Carolyn helps clients prepare for and navigate the process of separation and divorce emotionally and organizationally. In her work with parents, she offers support and skill-building for more peaceful co-parenting. Carolyn helps parents define their co-parenting values and goals, consider their communication style and methods, develop Parenting Plans, and co-parent through a lens that puts their child’s lived experience of a two-household family in focus. 

Carolyn’s certifications, roles, and training include DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, CDC Certified Divorce Coach®, DCA® Pre-Mediation Divorce Coach, Divorce Coaches Academy Mentor Coach and Evaluator, Mosten Guthrie Certified Co-Parenting Specialist, and completion of the Mosten Guthrie 40-Hour Family & Divorce Mediation Training. 

For more about Carolyn’s practice and to explore her blog visit: www.allyindivorce.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @allyindivorce

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-jacobs/

Wendy Kesser

Wendy S. Kesser, founder of Get with Wendy LLC, is a certified divorce coach and professional matchmaker, supporting clients from Los Angeles to Long Island. In addition, serves as COO of the nonprofit Divorce & Discovery, hosting four-day Jewish healing retreats around the country for those going through or emerging from divorce, as well as day-long off-sites to educate clergy about how best to serve their divorced congregants. Wendy is honored to have written the curriculum and taught the Specialty Training Institute’s first ever faith-based credential for certified divorce coaches.

Before serving as the Board President of JVS, a workforce development nonprofit in San Francisco and Board Chair of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, she was Executive Producer of News for KGO-TV in San Francisco.

Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Wendy graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and moved to California for an art history PhD (ABD) at the University of California, Berkeley. When not regularly humbled by her twin college sophomores, she is a recovering political junkie with a soft spot for pro sports, lemonade stands and dog parks.

Steve Kranz

Dr. Steve Krantz is the Vice President of PFLAG Los Angeles ( www.pflagla.org ). He served as Director of PFLAG’s Southern Pacific Region and a member of PFLAG’s National Board from 2007 through 2013. Steve founded the LA LGBT Youth Advocates Coalition in 2007 and served as its leader through 2022. In 2008, he received the Rainbow Key Award from the City of West Hollywood for his service to the gay community of California. In 2022, Steve received theRolf/Uribe Models of Pride Leadership Award from the LA LGBT Center. He retired from his career at IBM as a Distinguished Engineer in 2007 and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Crystal Williams

Crystal Williams, a Disability Informed Mediator and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)consultant, leads White & Williams ADR Services LLC, specializing in Special Education Dispute Resolution. Her expertise encompasses IEP facilitation, conflict management coaching,professional development, parent engagement, and trauma-informed practices. With a Masters of Dispute Resolution from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, Crystal expanded her mediation training through Waymakers Dispute Resolution Services and Mosten Guthrie Academy.

Active in various organizations, Crystal holds positions as a Board Member for the Southern California Mediation Association, Program Advisory co-chair for the Western Justice Center,advisor to the Board for Kids Managing Conflict, and coordinator of the Youth Police Dialogue series through the San Pedro Rotary Club.

Educationally, Crystal holds a Master of Arts in Teacher Education with dual special education credentials from Claremont Graduate University. With 15 years of K-12 teaching experience across different school levels, she now serves as a Social Justice Educator at Claremont Graduate University and the University of Redlands in their graduate teacher education preparation programs. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University, focusing on treatment, and obtained a BA in Social Science with emphases in Psychology, along with minors in Psychology and Law and Children and Families in Urban America from The University of Southern California.

Her commitment extends to a 5-year tenure as an Adjunct Instructor at the Learning Rights Law Center’s T.I.G.E.R program, guiding parents through the IEP process and empowering families to navigate the special education system effectively.

Moreover, she is a seasoned public speaker, presenting for TEDx as well as numerous local and national conferences. Additionally, Crystal was the Keynote Speaker at the 2024 CA State SELPA Conference.

Event Fees:

SCMA Students & Sustaining Members: No Cost

SCMA Members: $15.00

Non-Members: $35.00