VMN 2025 Fall Conference Agenda
Friday, October 3, 2025 IN-PERSON
Conference Registration Desk
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Location: Main lobby of the Madison Building
Check-in and receive your conference badge.
Ethics: Lighting the Way
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Approved for 2hrs MCLE Ethics, approved for 2hrs CME Ethics)
Speakers:
Ken Rosenbaum, Principal | Sylvan Environmental Consultants
Elizabeth Cheney, Appellate Mediation Program Coordinator | District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Jennifer Gartlan, Chief, 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: Hanover Room, Madison Building, 2nd Floor
Conference Registration Desk
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Location: Outside Hanover Room
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: Socio-Genograms: Use & Value in Mediation
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (1hr CME pending)
Speaker:
Noel Levan, Family Mediator, Parenting Educator | Fairfield Mediation Center & What'll Work Family Mediation
Navigate the Ombuds World
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM (1.5hrs CME pending)Speaker:
Sarah Atif, University Ombudsperson | George Mason University
CONCURRENT SESSION 2B: Tactical Mindfulness for Mediators
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
Speaker:
Breyette Lorntz, Founder 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 PM (Approved for 2hrs MCLE and 2hrs CME)
Brenda Waugh, Attorney 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 (Approved for 2hrs MCLE and 2hrs CME)
Speaker:
Hon. Jeanette 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 (Approved for 2hrs CME)
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 – 3:30 PM (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
Speaker:
Breyette Lorntz, Founder and Director of Vision and Practice | Lanterns Mediation
Sunday, October 5, 2025 NO SESSIONS
Dispute Resolution Resources for Rejection, Estrangement, and Relationship Rehabilitation
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (1hr CME pending)
Speaker:
Dan Berstein, Founder | MH Mediate
Must Mediated Agreements Be Fair?
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM (1.5hrs CME pending)
Speaker:
Charles "Chips" Lickson, Founder, Principal and Senior Neutral |Conflict Management Consortium
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 (Approved for 2hrs MCLE and 2hrs CME)
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 (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
Speakers:
Laura Gordon, Divorce Coach I Court-Certified Family Mediator | Laura Gordon, LLC
Janelle Webb, Divorce & Co-Parenting Coach | Reimagined Horizons
Building a Mediation Practice: Strategy, Systems, and Sustainability
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (2hrs CME pending)
Speaker:
AJ Maddeny, Founder | Aether Mediation LLC
Forgiveness: Unlocking the Possibilities
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
Speaker:
Eileen Barker, Mediator, Forgiveness Educator | Forgiveness Training Institute
Lighting the Way: The Raising Kids Together Turbocharged Living Scale (RKT-TLS)
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
Speaker:
Breyette Lorntz, Founder and Director of Vision and Practice | Lanterns Mediation
Full Circle Feedback Forum: Community Engagement7:00 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 (Approved for 1.5hrs CME)
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 (Approved for 1 hour MCLE, 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.