In an ambitious move to change the way Utah confronts conflict, Utah State University's Heravi Peace Institute has teamed up with Utah Dispute Resolution and Disagree Better. The partnership aims to expand the state's capacity for transformative mediation, an approach that emphasizes understanding and personal growth over adversarial solutions.
According to USU Today, the initiative's kickoff will be a 40-hour Transformative Mediation Certification training set to begin on November 6-8 at the Law and Justice Center in Salt Lake City. Running this transformative educational experience, which draws leaders from various sectors, will be Chad Ford, a Heravi Peace Institute faculty board member.
Among the participants are Nathan D. Alder, a Distinguished Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators, and Heather Brace, chief people officer for Intermountain Health. Also participating is Carolynn Clark, experienced mediator and adjunct mediation professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, who stated that mediation has become "increasingly impersonal and transactional," especially with attorney-represented disputes. "I see a great need for mediators to be more knowledgeable and skillful at techniques that honor and preserve parties’ relationships in mediation," Clark told USU Today.
The training effort also complements new academic offerings at USU, like the PI 3110: Transformative Mediation course that provides a foundation in the key principles of transformative mediation to undergraduate students. These educational initiatives are part of a multi-year plan set to culminate in specialized courses on family, environmental, interfaith, and restorative justice mediation by 2027. Marianne Viray, executive director of Disagree Better, highlighted the broader impact of the program, saying, "This cohort will model what it means to engage conflict with courage, clarity and compassion. It’s about transforming disagreement into a generative force for civic renewal," as Viray informed USU Today.
