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Welcome to the IMA Member Spotlight, where we take a closer look at individual IMA members and why they became a mediator.
Meet Nancy Haug, CPM and owner of Haug Mediation and Facilitation Services. Based in Boise and certified in Idaho, she is a trained, experienced, proficient and compassionate mediator and facilitator. Nancy is a valued member of the IMA Board.
Here are a few questions IMA posed to Nancy with her responses:
Q: When and why did you become a mediator?
A: I became a mediator in 2014. Toward the end of my federal career with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), I took a mediation class at the University of Nevada Reno, thinking that the mediation process would support my work as a natural resource professional. I fell in love with the practice and theory of conflict resolution and began volunteering in 2014 at the Reno Justice Court and for the Neighborhood Mediation Center.
When I retired from the BLM in 2016, I pursued and completed a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution to expand and deepen my knowledge, skills and experience in conflict resolution. Mediation was a natural progression following my career based in natural resources, where I spent decades working with individuals and groups from different agencies and organizations to explore and share concerns and negotiate resolutions. Mediation allows me to use the skills and knowledge I have gained through education and experience. It allows me to stay connected to individuals and groups and support them as they work through complicated issues toward resolutions and peace.
Q: When and why did you join the IMA?
A: I joined the IMA in 2019 to connect with professionals in my field, learn about educational opportunities, and become certified.
Q: What types of mediation do you practice?
A: My conflict resolution work includes individuals, families, and companies navigating small claims, eviction, divorce, elder care, and employment. I also facilitate groups negotiating complex issues to outcomes that allow them to move forward with a purpose and a plan.
Q: When you’re not working, how do you enjoy spending your time?
A: My outdoor passions include hiking, backpacking, photography, and fishing with my husband and Mini-Aussie. At home, I write, cook, and manage my photos. I also spend as much time as possible with my children and grandchildren.
Q: What is one tip or piece of advice you would like to share with other mediators?
A: Adopt a student-of-mediation attitude -- we can never stop learning. This means actively pursuing opportunities for personal and professional growth through classes, books and self-reflective practices.
Q: Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
A: Although mediation is my second career, my first career laid the foundation for my success as a mediator. Conflict is everywhere, and it's normal and expected; I love exploring the differences people have and helping them find commonalities and mutually agreeable solutions.
Q: Please share with us one fun fact about yourself.
A: I was born in Japan to military parents and have lived in Germany and England as well.
For more about Nancy, visit: https://www.nancyhaugmediation.com/ To learn more about becoming a certified professional mediator, click here.
Thank you, Nancy for participating in our IMA Member Spotlight!
and Leigh K. Barer, CPM, as secretary; Adds board members
BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 09, 2023–Idaho Mediation Association (IMA), which educates, certifies, and supports mediation professionals and promotes community awareness of constructive conflict resolution, today announced Terry W. Petty, CPM, as president, and several board officers and directors.
In addition to Terry serving as IMA president, Jennifer Poole, CPM, will serve as vice president, and Leigh K. Barer will serve as secretary. Leigh’s and Jennifer’s new officer roles left two vacant director seats to which the IMA board appointed Melissa Bishop, CPM, and Courtney Lossmann, LMSW. Nancy Haug, CPM, was elected a director, and Sheldon L. Forehand, CPM, was re-elected a director following his service the previous year. Scott Brand, CPM, continues as treasurer, and Steve Pinther, CPM, continues as director.
“I love conflict because I find great satisfaction when a conflict discovers a solution and ‘tears of fear and anger transition to tears of relief and joy,” said IMA President Terry W. Petty, CPM. “I am committed to advancing the IMA’s two-fold mission to train and certify professional mediators and to promote the benefits of mediation to the public. Together with the IMA board, I look forward to bringing increased value and visibility to professional mediators through increased credibility and community, and to building public awareness and understanding of mediation’s many benefits."
About Terry W. Petty, 2023 to 2024 IMA President A CPM since 2010, Terry is listed on the Idaho Supreme Court Roster for Child Custody Mediators and is a former president of the Grand Teton Mediation Association (Idaho Falls, Idaho). Prior to his election to president, he was elected 2021-2022 IMA vice president and served on the 2014-2015 board.
Terry is the president of Peace-Full Solutions RE, Inc., which provides mediation services and training leaders in conflict management concepts and strategies. He specializes in church, organizational, large group, and high-intensity conflicts. Since 2017, he has been an Idaho licensed REALTOR® and works with Team Idaho Real Estate in Moscow, Idaho. An ordained minister, Terry serves the Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God as the North Idaho Executive Presbyter. He was certified as a Master Chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains and served as a volunteer law enforcement chaplain for 25 years. He has authored three books. Terry earned a master’s degree in negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
About Jennifer Poole, CPM, 2022-2023 Vice President
Jennifer is the mediator at the Idaho Industrial Commission and owner of Resolution Empowered Mediation. An Idaho CPM, she has been an adjunct faculty member of Boise State University’s Dispute Resolution Program since 1999 and University of Dubuque LIFE since 2022. Jennifer authored Ch. 19: Conflict Management and the Criminal Justice System in the textbook “Victimology: Crime Victimization and Victim Services” from the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.
In addition to conducting various types of mediation, Jennifer trains and consults on Restorative Justice, victim-offender mediation, peer mediation, community mediation, and active listening. Prior to serving as the 2022 to 2023 vice president on the IMA board, she was a director from 2021 to 2022 and is a member of IMA's Training and Education Committee. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in dispute resolution from Touro University Worldwide. She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and communication from Boise State University, and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Brigham Young University - Idaho.
About Leigh K. Barer, CPM, 2023 to 2024 Secretary
Leigh is a CPM on the Idaho Supreme Court Roster for Child Custody Mediators with a family law focus and a deep communications background. Her interest in resolving conflict is underscored by her professional training and extensive experience solving complex communication challenges.
Before mediation, Leigh spent 15+ years helping countless businesses and nonprofits communicate clearly with their audiences as a freelance communications and PR consultant. Prior to serving as the 2023-2024 secretary on the IMA board, she was a director from 2022-2023. Leigh has completed studies in basic and advanced mediation, child custody mediation, domestic violence mediation, and restorative justice. Leigh earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Seattle University.
For more about the IMA Board of Directors, visit https://www.idahomediationassociation.org/Board-of-Directors.
About Idaho Mediation Association
The Idaho Mediation Association (IMA) is an association of mediators that educates, certifies, and supports mediation professionals and promotes community awareness of constructive conflict resolution. IMA has certified more than 400 individuals as Certified Professional Mediators (CPMs). IMA is one of the associations for which the Supreme Court accepts its certification process. IMA is Idaho’s mediation organization of choice for individuals seeking community, certification, and professional development. Visit: https://www.idahomediationassociation.org
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Welcome to IMA Member Spotlight, where we take a closer look at individual IMA members and why they became a mediator.
Meet our current Spotlight, Sheldon L. Forehand, CPM, owner of Forehand Mediation. Possessing a high emotional intelligence, Sheldon is an IMA member and a treasured IMA Board member.
Here are a few questions IMA posed to Sheldon and his responses:
A: I wanted to apply my experience as a mediation client with my extensive background helping at-risk youth and adults work through challenging obstacles with my interest in helping people resolve conflict.
A: My mediation practice focuses on child custody and elder care. I mediate evictions and HOA conflicts as well.
A: When not meditating, I enjoy spending time with my family and getting out on the golf course.
A: I once rappelled off a 200-foot cliff!
Thank you, Sheldon, for participating in our IMA Member Spotlight!
by Jennifer L. Neerman, CPM Small Claims Mediation Coordinator, 7th Judicial District
The Idaho 7th Judicial District has remarkable people involved with the Small Claims Mediation Program. We have a Judge who has mastered the art of building confidence in the courtroom prior to mediation, spectacular court clerks who expeditiously prepare the mediators, and a group of mediators who have taken their volunteer position to an extraordinary level of excellence. On the mornings of Small Claims Court, Judge Jason Walker gives an overview of how small claims court functions and why it is important for the litigants and the community to mediate, in good faith, to settle their cases before court. He introduces the mediators, gives a brief bio on each mediator, then sends everyone off to mediation. Judge Walker builds confidence in everyone by doing this. Mediation is very successful in the 7th Judicial District, with very few cases returning to court for noncompliance.
Court clerks in the 7th Judicial District are an integral part of the mediation process. They provide the mediators with the claim, answer, and supporting documents in advance so the mediators have everything they need to facilitate the mediation. Clerks Nicole McGary's and Heather Cronquist's desks are very busy, and they go above and beyond to support the Small Claims Mediation Program and do an excellent job.
Finally, let's look at our current eclectic team of volunteer mediators. Our mediators are outstanding! They come from all walks of life. We have attorneys, professors, public health officials, students, professional mediators, fishermen, probation officers, and artists. They show up to serve our communities and courts, and really make a difference. Here are highlights of who our mediators are:
David Pulsipher has been a professor of history at BYU- Idaho for over two decades. He earned a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Minnesota and currently specializes in conflict and peace theory. He has also served as a visiting professor and Fulbright scholar in India. He lives in Rexburg, Idaho, and loves to spend time along rivers and mountains. David also serves as a rental dispute mediator for BYU-Idaho student housing.
Scott D. Brand is a conflict resolution specialist and certified professional mediator. Additionally, Scott is a listed mediator for the Idaho Supreme Court and the Nevada Supreme Court. He is a member of the Grand Teton Mediation Association and a board member for the Idaho Mediation Association. Scott loves helping people reach solutions personalized to meet their needs and live a life with less conflict and more peace. Helping people choose outcomes rather than having solutions decided for them by a judge or another third party is what motivates Scott to help those in dealing with conflict. Self-determination is a strong value to Scott and one which he wants to share with others to help them live a better life. A graduate of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. He specializes in mediating child custody, divorce, domestic dispute, eviction, and small claims issues. When he's not mediating conflict and helping clients choose their own solutions, Scott revels in outdoor adventures and is an avid mountain biker, backpacker, river runner, lifelong learner, and adventurer.
J. Michael (Mike) Wheiler graduated from Utah State University in 1981 with a degree in history and English. He taught for one year at Preston Junior High School before attending and graduating from the University of Idaho College of Law. Mike has been a trial attorney for over 30 years and has assisted clients with a wide variety of issues. In his capacity as an attorney, he has participated in hundreds of mediations. He recently attended the Northwest Institute for Dispute Resolution Civil Mediation course at the University of Idaho. Mike works at the law firm of Thomsen Holman Wheiler, PLLC, in Idaho Falls. Mike currently serves as vice president of the Grand Teton Mediation Association.
Melissa Bishop has a Bachelor of Science from Boise State in criminal justice correction. She is a former probation officer and is now a domestic violence direct supervisor. She is an excellent mediator, and we are grateful to have her serve our district all the way from Boise.
Kellye Johnson has 25+ years working in the Environmental Health Division at Eastern Idaho Public Health. She started as an environmental health specialist trainee, working during the summer months in Fremont County (mostly in beautiful Island Park) while earning her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Idaho in industrial technologies with an emphasis in solid waste management. For the last 20 years, she has worked as the environmental Health Administrator. The Mission of Environmental Health is to ensure the public is protected from environmental factors that threaten their surroundings and quality of life. She works hard every day to make the mission of Environmental Health a reality for her family and hopefully for generations to come.
Kelly Faley is a junior at BYU-Idaho and is studying political science with an emphasis In foreign attars and a minor in peace and conflict transformation. She is a trained mediator who is ready to practice and build her career in conflict resolution. She loves music and plays the trumpet in the University Band.
Judge Walker says, "The mediators are the backbone of our success. I love our mediators' commitment to creative problem-solving. They work extremely hard and resolve some really challenging cases. These are cases that would undoubtedly recirculate again and again in the court system but for their efforts. Please continue to express my gratitude to them for the service they provide to the community."
We lost a fair number of our first-generation mediators when COVID struck, and we were forced into video conferencing, but the silver lining was the ability to use utilize mediators from across the state. Now, as we slowly transition back to in-person mediation we are looking forward to positive changes.
We have abounding gratitude for Judge Walker, the court clerks and our volunteer mediators!
by Jennifer Poole, CPM and IMA Director 2021-2022
A 2020 Gallup poll noted around one quarter of working Americans experienced burnout most often or always. We do not need another survey to tell us that burnout has greatly increased during the pandemic. If you have been a mediator for any length of time, you know it can be a challenge to not let the negative energy in the room impact you. One quality that can make or break a mediator’s long-term success is making sure to regularly get self-care. We have a professional obligation to make time for self-care including physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual, and leisure well-being to ensure we can focus and meet the expectations of our roles.
As mediators, we knowingly put ourselves in the middle of other people’s stressful situations and conflicts. While juggling different tasks and assisting others with their own problems, we can easily tend to ignore ourselves. Self-care is taken for granted even though it is crucial to our productivity. We need to take care of ourselves so that we may show up to work as our best versions. Ask yourself: What do you do daily for self-care? Have you added additional self-care during the pandemic? What self-care do you do before a mediation session?
Lydia Nussbaum, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution, William S. Boyd School of Law at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, addresses how burnout increases because of the responsibility mediators carry for delivering a quality mediation process. This includes even “little details” like being aware of, and constantly regulating, the mediator’s own outward expressions to parties. A burned-out mediator might not be able to think strategically about which topics to pursue first in mediation or will continue to hammer for options on a dead-end topic instead of realizing the need to park the conversation and switch to another more fruitful topic. This can erode parties' confidence in the process and lead them to feel discouraged about the possibility of reaching resolution. A mediator whose cognitive abilities are com-promised by burn-out may not be able to do their best job of performing these imperative elements of the mediation process, and they could therefore do a disservice to the parties and undermine the parties’ chances of reaching resolution. A burned-out mediator is more likely to run the risk of delivering an ineffective and unfair process.
Sometimes the stressors of being a mediator are even related to how we are thinking in our work. Mediators are human beings. We each grew up in a certain cultural context that imbued us with ways of thinking and evaluating, and invariably we bring these with us when we mediate. It is important to check in with yourself before, during, and after mediation. Mediation is more likely to be successful with the mediator has centered and focused themselves prior to the session. Take a short walk, do a short meditation or even just take a few deep breaths before the parties arrive to help refocus yourself on the parties and their conflicts.
With a little practice, self-care can be done relatively quickly and can even be done during the session while you stay within the flow of the conversation. In just a few short breaths, you can turn inward, become aware of your thoughts, connect with your feelings and needs, and then turn back to focusing on the parties.
Self-care is important for everyone, and mediators need it more than most others so we can emulate a sense of being calm and focused to our parties. Take some time to schedule regular self-care for yourself – it will have a positive impact not only on your but on your mediations and the parties you help.
Meet our first Spotlight, Scott D. Brand, CPM, and owner of Scott D. Brand Conflict Resolution. A multi-faceted professional based in Salmon, Idaho, Scott also mediates with the Supreme Court of Nevada and nationwide with AEP Meditation & Notary Services. He’s been an IMA member for two years and is a valued member of the IMA Board.
Here are a few questions IMA posed to Scott and his responses:
A: Simply, I really enjoy helping people solve problems. I wanted to help empower others to solve their own conflicts and control their own destinies versus going to court, handing over all self-determination to a stranger, and losing the power to dictate the outcome in their lives. I believe in people making hard choices for themselves instead of sitting on the sidelines and allowing a third party to determine their fate. Watching stress and negativity fade away and being replaced with a sense of calm is rewarding.
A: Child custody, divorce, property, small claims, estate, HOA.
A: When I’m not working, you will find me riding my mountain bike, floating on the river, spending time with friends and family, hiking with my dogs, or planning my next adventure.
A: I have four dogs I rescued from the animal shelter.
Thank you, Scott for participating in our first IMA Member Spotlight!
For more about Scott, visit https://www.scottdbrand.com.
To learn more about becoming a certified professional mediator, click here.
Congratulations to IMA President Carol Barkes, CPM, who is among 50 women recognized by Idaho Business Review as 2022 Women of the Year!
“2022 marks the 17th year the Idaho Business Review has been recognizing incredible women from across the state of Idaho. This year’s list of honorees represents a broad spectrum of industries, and we are privileged to have them among our community,” said Idaho Business Review Publisher Cindy Suffa in the publication’s award story.
Idaho Business Review reported, “This selection committee reviewed the applicants and selected the 50 honorees based on four categories: professional achievement, leadership, mentorship and community service…Each year, the Idaho Business Review announces an overall top winner as the Woman of the Year (based on scores from the judges and Idaho Business Review staff members), who is unveiled at the awards gala and introduced by the former year’s winner. Last year’s Woman of the Year was Odette Bolano of Saint Alphonsus Health System.”
For more information about the award and tickets to the 2022 Women of the Year gala Thurs., Sept. 22 at Boise Centre, click here. For the complete story, click here.
IMA has received a complaint that a candidate for public office is advertising himself as a member of IMA, although he is not currently a member. IMA regrets this misinformation. If you ever have questions about IMA membership, please do not hesitate to contact the IMA Administrator at admin@idahomediationassociation.org.
Phone: 208-855-0506
Email: admin@idahomediationassociation.org
Address: PO Box 2504 Boise, Idaho 83701
