The DRC Family came together on July 27th for our annual Volunteer Recognition Picnic at the Rose Garden at Priest Point Park.  Organized by the DRC Board of Directors, this annual event celebrates the more than 100 volunteers whose commitment makes the DRC's work possible.

At this year's picnic, the DRC Board served a bountiful feast, energizing entertainment was provided by the Samba OlyWA drummers, and Vicki Martin was honored with the 2017 Volunteer of the Year award.   

Thank You to all of our amazing volunteers for your dedication to promoting peace and civility in our community.

Earlier this year, the Dispute Resolution Center Board and staff committed to both expanding conflict resolution services in local schools and being responsive to community needs by offering high quality training resources.  We are excited to announce an internal re-alignment that allows us to address these service objectives and meet growing community needs. 

​Carrie Stringer, who previously oversaw both training and youth services, will now focus solely on Restorative Practices and Youth Services.  Former staff member Oriana Noël Lewis has returned to the DRC and will again be filling the role of Training Manager.  ​

Alice Sharrett has joined the Dispute Resolution Center's staff as our new Mediation Manager.  In her new role, she will oversee the DRC's Call Center, train and supervise volunteer phone conciliators, and manage mediation client records, case scheduling and billing.

Alice brings an impressive, diverse set of skills and experience to our organization.  She has worked in management information systems since 1998, and has served our community in a wide variety of volunteer roles, including as a rape crisis and domestic violence hot-line responder.  Her involvement with the DRC dates back to 2012, when she completed her 40-hour Mediation Training and began volunteering as a phone conciliator.  She has been serving as the DRC's Case Manager, in an interim capacity, since May.
 
"The entire team is delighted to welcome Alice into the role of Mediation Manager," notes DRC Executive Director Jody Suhrbier.  "She has the perfect combination of data management, office organization, and systems analysis skills coupled with a warm, patient, and service-oriented manner.  She shares with all of us a dedication to continuous quality improvement in our efforts to offer high-quality conciliation and mediation services to our community."