The Maryland Public Policy Conflict Resolution Fellows Program celebrated its eighth class in November 2019. The Fellows program convenes Maryland leaders in government, business, and non-profit sectors to enhance their use of consensus-building processes to address complex policy issues and multi-stakeholder conflicts.
The Fellows program is co-hosted by the Honorable Mary Ellen Barbara, Chief Judge Maryland Court of Appeals; Dr. Jay Perman, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore; and Donald Tobin, Dean, Maryland Carey Law. The diversity of invited Fellows contributes to the overall value of the program. As described by one Fellow, its “really, really important to be in the room doing this work with people from different sectors, perspectives, geographies … putting into practice this intersection of public policy and conflict mediation.” The 2019 Fellows class included thirty state leaders.
The Fellows learned from trainers who are experienced in applying consensus-building and conflict de-escalation strategies to address complex issues and disputes at the national and local level. Alana Knaster, Project Manager and Community Engagement Specialist at the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation, Lecturer at Law at Pepperdine University Law School, and former Mayor of Hidden Hills, California, shared her experiences and facilitated a multi-stakeholder negotiation simulation. Baltimore native, Alicia Wilson, Vice President of Economic Development for Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System, shared her insights about how businesses can build authentic relationships with communities. Rounding out the program, Lorig Charkoudian, Maryland State Delegate for District 20 and Executive Director, Community Mediation Maryland, provided resources on how leaders can use active listening effectively.
Since 2007, the Fellows program has built a growing network of leaders who apply consensus building and conflict management strategies in their leadership roles. The program is supported by the Maryland Judiciary and collaboratively organized by C-DRUM and the Maryland Judiciary Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO).