Schedule at a Glance

This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
 
Friday, February 26, 2027
7:30 am
REGISTRATION OPENS
Fourth Floor
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST BUFFET
Azalea Ballroom
9:00 am
WELCOME
Azalea Ballroom
9:15 am
OPENING KEYNOTE
Azalea Ballroom
Making Space for Humanity: Artificial Intelligence Creating Authentic Presence
Clare Fowler
10:45 am
BREAK
11:00 am
MORNING CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION 1
Azalea V & VI
When AI Joins the Table: Empathy, Ethics, and the Future of Mediation
Megan Daic Smith
SESSION 2
Cypress
Culture, Psychology, and Power at the Mediation Table: Navigating Power Dynamics in Cross-Cultural Mediation
Mitra Esmaeili
SESSION 3
Willow
Storytelling for Mediators—Get Your Message Out, from Podcasting to Documentaries
Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis
12:00 pm
BREAK
12:15 pm
LUNCHEON, TAM AWARDS PRESENTATION, AND ANNUAL MEETING
Azalea Ballroom
2:00 pm
AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS Part 1
SESSION 4
Azalea V & VI
Staying Centered: Neutrality and Professionalism in Modern Mediations
Clay Avery, Matt Smith Rubio
SESSION 5
Cypress
The Dynamics of Elder and Adult Care Mediation
Dr. Barbara Sunderland Manousso
SESSION 6
Willow
The AI-Ready Mediator: What Every Neutral Must Know
Jennifer Ortiz Prather
3:00 pm
BREAK
3:15 pm
AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS Part 2
SESSION 7
Azalea Ballroom
Mediation Law Update
Gene Roberts
SESSION 8
Azalea V & VI
Community, Conflicts and Resolution: Texas DRC Perspectives
Othel Bursey, Jr., Al Cortez, Susan Young
SESSION 9
Cypress
AI Follies: What Its Failures Can Tell Us About the Responsible Use of AI
Gary Doernhoefer
SESSION 10
Willow
Reading the Room Right: Distinguishing Trauma, Neurodivergence, and Coercive Control in DV-Informed Mediation
Amber Tilley
4:15 pm
BREAK
4:30 pm
AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS Part 3
SESSION 11
Azalea V & VI
Fair Process or Favorable Outcome? What Procedural Justice Research Means for Mediators
Krystia Reed, Ashley Vaughan
SESSION 12
Cypress
LGBTQ+ Parties: What Mediators Need to Know
Shelly Skeen
SESSION 13
Willow
Anticipatory Mediation: Moving Dispute Resolution Upstream
Dawn E. Norman
5:30 pm
WELCOME RECEPTION
Azalea Ballroom
6:00 pm
NETWORKING EVENT
Azalea V & VI
 
Saturday, February 27, 2027
7:30 am
BREAKFAST BUFFET
Azalea Ballroom/Azalea IV
8:15 am
WELCOME
Azalea Ballroom
8:30 am
SATURDAY PLENARY PANEL
Azalea Ballroom
10:00 am
BREAK
10:15 am
SATURDAY CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION 14
Azalea Ballroom
Are You Ethically Smarter (in Mediation) than a 5th Grader?
Alan Bush, Felicia Harris Hoss
SESSION 15
Azalea V & VI
Pro Se Mediations: The Opportunities and Challenges
Sarah Wedd, Fran Brochstein, Denise Kana Coggiola, Melanie E. Grimes
SESSION 16
Cypress
Mediation: A Truancy Prevention Measure
Clay Francell, Judy Wells
SESSION 17
Willow
Mediator Practice Tips from Texas Case Law
John Coselli
11:15 am
BREAK
11:30 am
CLOSING PLENARY PANEL
Azalea Ballroom
Ethical Instincts: How Do Yours Measure Up?
Mark Sims, Kimberly Barahona, Denise Kana Coggiola, John Coselli, Gene Roberts
12:30 pm
CLOSING REMARKS