My mediation experience started as a participant in a family-divorce mediation. Finding mediation interesting and successful, I decided to become a mediator. My first mediation training came from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the agency formed in 1947 to mediate and facilitate national labor disputes.
After FMCS training, I worked as an IRS Appeals Officer mediator, mediating disputes between the IRS-Exam function and taxpayers. I found mediation challenging and exhilarating, but most notably I was very good at being a neutral mediator. I have participated in numerous IRS mediations. Despite being an IRS employee, my reputation was for being neutral and fair with an ability to help find reasonable solutions for all parties.
My talents as an Appeals Officer mediator were quickly recognized and I was detailed to a small Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) team with the goal of educating, standardizing and developing mediation solutions for the Office of Appeals. I wrote the materials and taught an IRS Advanced Mediation Training Class for the most experienced IRS Appeals Officers in the U.S.
Finding that I was not only good at conducting mediations, but I also loved the experience, I decided to pursue mediation outside of the federal government. Over the last few years I have become certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a circuit, family and county mediator. My education, training, experience and philosophy have made me a highly successful in conducting mediations and I would like an opportunity to call you a participant in one of my mediations.