Conference Speakers

Clay Avery is licensed to practice law but practices mediation as a primary means for conflict resolution. He is a TMCA Credentialed Advanced Mediator and a volunteer mediator at the Austin DRC. As a principal at MESA Dispute Resolution, he leads mediation trainings for the Austin and Tarrant County DRCs. Clay also teaches Conflict Analysis & Resolution at St. Edward’s University and Mediation at the UT School of Law. He serves as a Board member of TAM and Treasurer of the Austin Mediators Association. Clay holds a BBA from Texas Christian University and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law.

Kimberly Barahona owns and operates Barahona Consulting and Mediation in Spring, Texas. She is a bilingual mediator who practices both family and civil mediation and is a mediator for the Texas Department of Insurance Balance Billing program. As an experienced educator, Kimberly has combined her passions for teaching and mediating to collaborate with the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery Co., Inc. to develop and lead multiple conflict resolution educational programs for the community. Kimberly is an approved trainer and member of TMTR, a member of TAM, and a TMCA Credentialed Advanced Mediator.

Fran Brochstein has been a licensed Texas attorney since 1991, and has mediated 23+ years. She is Past President of ACR–Houston Chapter and TAM and currently serves on the Boards of the Highland Lakes Bar Association, Tarrant County Association of Mediators, and Marble Falls Rotary Chapter, as well as Chair of Region 15B of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. Fran is a member of ACR–Houston, Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable, Austin Mediators Association, Association of Attorney-Mediators, and Association of Family & Conciliation Courts. A TMCA Distinguished Credentialed Mediator, Fran is also a part-time trainer with Mediation Dynamics and Manousso Mediation and volunteers with several Texas DRCs, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Marble Falls Lawyers in the Library, Marble Falls Teen Court, Legal Aid of NW Texas, and Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas.

Dallas County Government

Othel Bursey Jr., a native of Illinois, with over 20 years of administrative and management experience, has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of both state and county government. Currently, he serves as the ADR Coordinator and Administrator over the Dallas County Dispute Resolution Center (DCDRC). This Center has reached a milestone of 14 years of operation and currently is one of two county administered programs in North Texas. The DCDRC receives case referrals directly from the Civil District Courts, Family District Courts, County Courts at Law, Probate, and Justice of the Peace Courts. Othel holds a master’s degree in public administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC).

Bush Mediation

Alan Bush made war as an advocate for 20 years, but now makes peace. Surviving a third fight against cancer by a sheer miracle, he went full-time mediator. Two years later, in 2026, Super Lawyers named him to its ADR list. Alan speaks across Texas. For example, he has presented for State Bar conferences like the Business Disputes course (twice) and the Labor & Employment Institute. Mediator associations, like TMCA and AAM, have called on Alan to present for their conferences. The Corporate Counsel Review, the journal of the State Bar’s Corporate Counsel Section, has published Alan’s articles five times. Alan likes to live. He lifts weights, boxes, swims, runs, enjoys live music, and grills in his backyard.

Denise Kana Coggiola graduated with her Masters in Dispute Resolution from SMU in 2008 and was named the Distinguished Student of the Year. She began her private family mediation practice called It Takes Three Mediation LLC in May of 2008. She has served her clients full time over 18 years in Collin, Denton, and Dallas counties. Each year, more than 95% of Denise’s clients are pro se and she has helped over 800 clients complete their divorce with her peaceful process.

Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center (BCDRC)

Alfred A. Cortez served as a volunteer mediator at the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center (BCDRC) for over six years before joining the staff in May 2007 as a Mediation Coordinator. In June 2012, he was selected as the Intake/Mediation Manager. In January 2015, he was selected as Director. He is trained in Basic 40 hour, Family Law, Children’s Court (CPS) mediations. He previously served 28 years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a graduate of George Washington University and St. Mary’s University School of Law. He is married to the former Sonia Tabares of Bogota, Colombia.

Senior District Judge, State of Texas

John Coselli has served as the presiding Judge of the 125th Civil District Court of the State of Texas and as an assigned State District Court Judge for over 20 years. Prior to his service as a Judge, he was in a private legal practice from 1977 until 1999 when he was appointed to the Court. John now mediates, arbitrates, is a litigation consultant, and continues to serve as a District Judge by assignment. As a mediator, he has mediated thousands of claims involving the resolution of billions of dollars in collective controversy in a wide variety of domestic and international disputes. He is a mediation trainer and presenter and serves on the TMCA Board of Directors.

Daic Law / Empathic Edge

Megan Smith (aka: Daic) is an attorney, mediator, adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, NDR Coach at St. Mary's School of Law, and owner of Daic Law, a Texas-based consumer debt defense and bankruptcy firm. She has directed the UHLC ADR Program and currently serves on the State Bar of Texas ADR Section Council. With a decade of experience teaching negotiation and dispute resolution, Megan is also the founder of Empathic Edge, an AI-powered legal skills training platform built on the premise that empathy is a measurable, trainable competitive skill. She is a frequent speaker on ADR practice, legal technology, and the future of human skills in an AI-driven profession.

ADR Notable

Gary Doernhoefer is a 1984 graduate of the University of Chicago School of Law, with nearly 40 years of legal experience including private practice, in-house counsel, general counsel, technology entrepreneur, and founder of ADR Notable—the leading technology platform designed specifically for dispute resolution professionals. He is the Co-Chair of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section ADR Skills Building and Technology Innovations Committee and a frequent presenter on topics relating to technology and ADR.

Mitra Esmaeili is an internationally trained lawyer, ADR educator, and dispute resolution professional with a cross-cultural legal and academic background. She practiced law in Iran for approximately a decade with a focus on social justice and holds an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. She has taught law, legal research, and conflict resolution and currently teaches conflict resolution through Northside ISD Adult & Community Education. Her professional and academic interests include mediation, cross-cultural conflict, negotiation, psychology of conflict, power dynamics, and ADR ethics. Her international legal experience and multilingual background inform her interest in how culture, communication, psychology, and power shape conflict and mediation.

ODR.com

Dr. Clare Fowler is Executive Vice-President of ODR.com and received the International Woman of Peace Award in 2024. She received her Doctorate on designing dispute resolution systems and her Master’s of Dispute Resolution from the Pepperdine University School of Law and Organizational Leadership. Dr. Fowler also works as Managing Editor and with Caseload Manager at Mediate.com. She teaches at Pepperdine Straus and at University of Oregon. Clare mediates and trains, focusing on workplace disputes. Dr. Fowler’s dissertation was a phenomenological study of Workplace disputes. Her 2023 book, Rising Above Office Conflict: A Light-Hearted Guide for the Heavy-Hearted Employee, is a guidebook for HR directors dealing with high-conflict behaviors. Her motto for the dispute resolution field? Rising Tides Raise All Boats.

Francell Mediation

Clay Francell is a 2026 TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator. His passion centers around juvenile with family violence situations, truancy with school districts, and youth peer-to-peer mediations with the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program. Clay also offers real-world experience in credit and collections, business management, non-profit management, safety development, training, and education. His background in education and training has crossed industries from elementary and high-school classrooms to safety training for the oilfield, water parks, and swimming pool venues. Clay earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in psychology from The University of Texas Permian Basin. His mediation training includes Basic Mediation, Advanced Family Mediation, and Mental Health.

Melanie E. Grimes has been a mediator in private practice in Dallas for 25+ years and has mediated with thousands of parties, focusing primarily on family law as well as a variety of civil matters. Melanie is a TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator and has been recognized with the Susanne C. Adams Award by the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM), the Louis Weber Award for “Outstanding Volunteer Mediator of the Year,” and as TMCA's Outstanding Credentialed Mediator for 2024. Currently, she serves as TAM’s representative and as Vice-Chair, Credentialing, on TMCA’s Board of Directors. For seven years, Melanie was a Court-Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care and has served past Board of Director roles for a county-funded mediation service, two churches, a cooperative parish, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ private school, a mental health organization, and a rape crisis center.

Harris Hoss PLLC

Felicia Harris Hoss is a full-time independent commercial mediator and arbitrator, and former trial partner in regional and national law firms with offices in Houston, Texas. She is recognized by her peers for inclusion among The Best Lawyers® in America in mediation (2026-2027), arbitration (2027), and commercial litigation (2021-2027), and as a Texas Super Lawyer® in Alternative Dispute Resolution (2024-2027). Felicia also received The Best Lawyers® in America “Lawyer of the Year” award in Mediation (Houston) (2027). In 2024, the ABA unanimously adopted Resolution 500 urging greater use of early dispute resolution (EDR). Felicia wrote the report for Resolution 500 and co-wrote the Resolution. She is part of the leadership team assisting the AAA's launch of an EDR Mediation panel.

Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC: Solution2Conflict

Dr. Barbara Sunderland Manousso, Ph.D., M.P.H., CFRE, is CEO and founder of Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC: Solution2Conflict. She has trained, lectured, and practiced mediation and arbitration worldwide since 1993. Her PodCast, Manousso Musing, is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Dr. Manousso earned her baccalaureate from Brown University, Master of Public Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health, Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University, and attended South Texas College of Law. She served as a commissioner under three Texas governors to elevate care in long-term care facilities, was recognized as a Federal Long-term Care Ombudsman, served on the University of Texas Consortium on Aging, has participated with the city, state, AARP, and United Way programs on aging, and for the American Bar Association helped create an elder abuse profile tool.

The Goodbye Gift, NormLaw PLLC

Dawn E. Norman, JD, is an attorney, estate and continuity strategist, and founder of The Goodbye Gift. With more than 20 years of experience handling complex commercial litigation, crisis management, and high-stakes disputes, she brings a practical perspective on conflict prevention, negotiation, and difficult conversations. Her work now focuses on helping families, business owners, and professionals navigate sensitive discussions involving succession, incapacity, caregiving, death, and legacy planning before disputes arise. Drawing from both the courtroom and the conference room, Dawn offers engaging, thought-provoking presentations that explore how proactive communication, anticipatory mediation, and strategic planning can reduce conflict, preserve relationships, and create.

LMI NETWORK

Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis, J.D., M.Ed., is a Houston-based attorney, mediator, and arbitrator licensed in Texas and Florida, and founder of Pierre-Louis & Associates, PLLC, a family law and mediation practice. A former teacher and former Texas Assistant Attorney General, he founded the LMI Network, created ZODR.ai, an AI co-mediator for Zoom, and hosts the LMI Podcast. He directed the documentary "Can ODR Change the World?", which premiered at the 2026 International ODR Forum at Harvard, where he received the Ethan Katsh Award. A Fellow of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, he speaks and writes on AI, ODR, and legal technology.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Jennifer Ortiz Prather is the Division Director for the Appellate Mediation Coordination & Compliance Enforcement Division at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She oversees the nation’s largest employment‑discrimination mediation program and leads the EEOC’s new federal‑sector appellate mediation initiative. Jennifer also directs the agency’s first AI‑in‑ADR pilot, designed to responsibly integrate artificial intelligence into scheduling, confidential pre‑mediation communication, issue identification, and agreement drafting. A former FMCS Commissioner of Mediation & Special Projects Director, and Regional ADR Program Manager for the EEOC Houston District, she brings extensive experience in conflict systems design, mediation practice, and innovation in public‑sector dispute resolution. Jennifer is also the founder of ADR Architects, an AI‑enhanced conflict systems consultancy.

University of Texas at El Paso

Dr. Reed is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Dr. Reed received her BA in Psychology & Legal Studies (2010) from Claremont McKenna College, her MA (2014) and PhD (2017) in Psychology from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and her JD (2015) from the Nebraska College of Law. She is inactive member of the California bar. Dr. Reed has a quantitative emphasis and teaches courses in Introductory Psychology, Social Psychology, Psychology & Law, Learning & Memory, and Research Methods. She has also taught graduate courses in Social Cognition, Law & Behavioral Science, and Law Governing Lawyers.

Sam Houston State University

Gene Roberts is a past president of TAM, past chair of the ADR Section of the Texas Bar Association, and serves at Sam Houston State University as the Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Legal & Mediation Services. He is also the 2023 recipient of the Susanne C. Adams Award by the Texas Association of Mediators.

AustinMediation, PLLC

Mark W. Sims has been a mediator for 24 years. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, where he was President of the Student Bar Association, and has Finance and Marketing degrees from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Sims served as President of the Texas Association of Mediators in 2021-2022 and had previously served on the organization's Board for several years. Mark was co-chair of the 2020 TAM Annual Conference and, in 2026, Mark was recognized with the Spirit of TAM Award.

Lambda Legal

Shelly L. Skeen (she/her) is the South Central Regional Director for Lambda Legal, over eight states, where she was also a Senior Attorney. Shelly is a seasoned litigator, appellate practitioner, mediator, and international arbitrator. She has appeared in the U.S. Supreme Court & the Texas Supreme Court. She served as Chair of the LGBTQ+ Law Section for the State Bar of Texas, President of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, is a speaker on LGBTQ+ legal issues and is adjunct faculty for the University of Texas School of Law & UNT Dallas College of Law. The Texas Bar College awarded her its highest award for best CLE Article. She is a certified Queer & Trans Affirming Professional (QTAP).

MESA Dispute Resolution

Matt Smith Rubio, LCSW, is a TMCA Credentialed Advanced Mediator based in Austin. He's a mediator, therapist, and parenting facilitator in private practice. Matt earned a BA in Linguistics from Yale University and a Master of Science in Social Work from UT Austin. He first trained as a mediator at Austin's Dispute Resolution Center and is still involved there as a volunteer. Matt is a TMTR-Approved Trainer and principal at MESA Dispute Resolution, where he provides mediation trainings for the Dispute Resolution Centers of Austin and Tarrant County. He currently serves as Vice-President of the Austin Mediators Association.

Amber M. Tilley, JD, is a neurodivergent-affirming attorney, mediator, and educator practicing trauma-informed advocacy across domestic abuse, education, children, and families with disabilities. As a Clinical Staff Attorney at Texas A&M University School of Law, she works with foster youth ages 14–26 and teaches Children and the Law through a trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate lens. From 2021–2024, she directed Legal Services at SafeHaven of Tarrant County (now Archway), litigating protective orders and custody matters. She also spent five years with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas representing survivors of violence and vulnerable families, including children with disabilities. Trained in Advanced Family Law and CPS Mediation as as through the National Family Law Trial Institute, Amber brings a calm, survivor-affirming, child-centered approach to high-conflict cases.

University of Texas at El Paso

Ashley Vaughan is a Professor of Practice in the UTEP LSPI and a PhD student under Dr. Reed.

Montgomery County, Texas

Sarah Wedd is the Reference Attorney for Montgomery County and has 15+ years of experience helping self-represented litigants access justice. Specializing in family law, Sarah uses that experience to review self-represented family law cases for Montgomery County. She has developed mediation skills to work with a diverse population, often discussing difficult and emotional topics. With 19+ years of teaching experience, Sarah also works for Lone Star College as an adjunct Speech instructor and applies her teaching experience to the legal field by conveying complicated issues to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Sarah enjoys spending time with her three daughters and finding ways to give back to her local community through various community service roles.

Essential Mediations LLC

Judy Wells is a mother of five, grandmother of eighteen, and great-grandmother of one. Her first lessons in patience, negotiation, and conflict management came from raising five children. Judy is a professional mediator, trainer, presenter, and child education advocate with almost 30 years of ADR experience. While working as an advocate, she knew she needed more skills and that led her into mediation, where she focuses most of her practice on family matters, including divorce, custody, modifications, child protective services cases, and truancy. Judy serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Association of Mediators and is the President-Elect. She is also a TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator and is committed to advancing mediation across Texas.

The Wright Firm, LLP

Patrick A. Wright is managing partner of The Wright Firm, LLP in North Texas. He is Board Certified in Family Law and Child Welfare and is active in the State Bar of Texas and American Bar Association. Patrick has held leadership roles with major family law and legal technology conferences, including ABA TECHSHOW. He frequently speaks and writes about family law, technology, and artificial intelligence. He also handles family law trials, appeals, and mediations. Patrick was recognized in the 2027 Best Lawyers in America for Family Law, Family Law Mediation, and Family Law Arbitration. In 2026, he received the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section’s Joseph W. McKnight Award for his work on AI and technology in family law.

Tarrant County Dispute Resolution

Susan Young is the Director of Tarrant County Dispute Resolution, bringing decades of experience in education, public service, and community leadership. Before stepping into this role, she served as Tarrant County’s Mobility Coordinator, spent more than a decade in legislative service as District Director for Senator Kelly Hancock, and served several years as Court Coordinator under Judge Phil Sorrells, gaining deep insight into both community needs and the judicial system. A Baylor University graduate, Susan’s background includes 11 years of teaching elementary education, as well as 12 years as a children’s worship director. Susan and her husband, Paul, are the proud parents of two daughters. Susan is known for her collaborative leadership and her commitment to strengthening the Tarrant County community.