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 sosborn@uoregon.edu or c.rob.bearden@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more.

If you have been delaying registering for the OMA Fall Conference, the time to register is now! Join us in Eugene November 9th and 10th for Oregon’s biggest conflict resolution conference and OMA’s biggest event of the year.

his year’s conference offers a broad scope of relevant, professional-level conflict resolution presentations and workshops in different field-oriented tracks, as well as the opportunity to meet and engage with practitioners in the field.

Whether you are a mediator, attorney, social worker, human resources professional, student, educator, ADR practitioner, counselor, or someone who is interested in conflict management and resolution, you’ll find multiple interesting and useful activities that will enrich your knowledge and sense of community.

The 2018 OMA Conference will include:

• 45- 90- and 180-minute professional-level workshops in field- and topic- specific tracks
• Graduate research panel
• Keynote presentations
• Plenary luncheons
• Networking reception and happy hour
• Awards and Tributes
• Raffles
• Continue Education Credits are being applied for with the Oregon Bar, HRCI, and NASW
• Vendor and informational space
• Annual OMA membership meeting
• ….and more!

Ready to go? Register now here. You can also review the schedule, workshop descriptions, check out the venue, or make a donation  to help support the conference in the conference pages.