Our OMA 2019 Conference was a great success! We hosted our 33rd annual conference back in Portland after spending 2018 in Eugene. We had great turnout – long-time practitioners, volunteer mediators, community members, students, and some new friendly faces to the profession. Our theme was “Managing Conflict: Bridging the Gap through Mediation and Beyond.” Back in 2018, our committee decided to begin providing “tracks” throughout the conference, or certain strings of workshops to attend that would be dedicated to topics such as family, business, or diversity and inclusion. Based on the positive feedback in 2018, we decided to continue expanding upon those “tracks” to develop networking within conference participants. We grew our list to six tracks, and will continue to create robust opportunities for more specialized education throughout the year. OMA also created a new award for 2019, or the “Spirit of Mediation” award. The committee awarded four practitioners who embody the “spirit” of mediation through one or more luminaries. The award winners were: Bryan Egan, Rene Bove, Stuart Watson, and Jack Bevilaqua. The board also shared initiatives each committee is working on during our annual open meeting, including a Mediators of Color network across Oregon. Finally, we introduced our new mentorship program during the conference. Reach out to [email protected] or [email protected] if you are interested in learning more.
Rene Bouve, 2019 Spirit of Mediation Award Recipient 
Devin Howington discusses Certification survey results 
Tera Cleland, OMA Board Member and President 
Amy Chase Herman and Meagan Robbins (Board Member) 
Amy Chase Herman, Alice Inez and Gene Tish (new Board Member for 2020) 
Keynote Speaker Alison Allen-Hall, The Oregon Peace Institute 
Chris Sheesley, Donna Silverberg and Clare Fowler 
Connections 
Taking moments to connect 
John Inglish, OMA Board Member and Secretary 
Keynote Traci Rosi, and family mediator Kathleen Maloney 
Keynote Speaker Traci Rossi, Portland State University Center for Women’s Leadership 
Dr. Fowler with Mediate.com 
Conveying Empathy in the Digital Age 
Sam Imperati on Walking the Fine Line Between Impartiality and Advocacy 
Yes, we love mediation