Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County
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A Celebration of Peacemakers 2025

5/12/2025

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On Sunday, May 4th, we gathered at South Puget Sound Community College's Lacey Campus for A Celebration of Peacemakers. This event honored our volunteers, supporters, advocates, and community partners - all those whose efforts help create a more civil and peaceful community. 

Highlights of the afternoon included reflections on promoting civil discourse by Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne and presentation of the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award to Lonnie Locke.

Established in honor of the DRC's Founding Executive Director, the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in strengthening civil discourse, and promoting peaceful dispute resolution and civility in our community.

Scroll down to view the photo gallery!

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Lonnie Locke was honored with the 2025 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award.
Tribute to Lonnie Locke - Click to read
Lonnie Locke is a consummate model of authentic compassion in action. She creates opportunities for community members to come together to explore their differences and celebrate their shared values.

A few years ago, Lonnie helped launch the non-profit Multicultural Services Center of South Sound to provide immigrant support services. In her role as a non-attorney judge in the Washington courts system, she helped ensure more equitable treatment of court-involved immigrants. She is currently working with a team to develop the new Community Collaboration for Immigrant Support, to address safety threats to vulnerable immigrants.

Lonnie led Race Unity in Action in Olympia, and she served on North Thurston School District’s Multicultural Board. In that role, she co-produced “What Unites Us?”, a video interview project.
She led the community project “Looking Back, Moving Forward” to preserve first-hand records of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery civil rights march.

By collaborating with both marginalized community members and people who hold privileges, Lonnie opens doors to a more joy-filled, equitable world.
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Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne's keynote address touched on themes of promoting civil discourse, seeking common ground and looking for the humanity in one another.
Click here to read mayor payne's speech
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2024 Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

8/1/2024

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We want to extend a huge Thank You to all of our amazing volunteers who support us throughout the year! To all volunteers whether you were able to join us and for those that were not able to make it, we appreciate YOU. Your dedication and hard work do not go unnoticed, and we are grateful for your many contributions to the community building work of the DRC.

To show our appreciation, we hosted our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on July 31st at Tumwater Historical Park. 

​Congratulations to Kacia Bernier and Marieke McGovern (pictured below with Executive Director Elizabeth Drake), who we honored last evening as the DRC's Outstanding Volunteers for 2024 at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic.

Thank You to Kacia and Marieke - and to all of the DRC's 130+ volunteers - for all you do to help build a more peaceful and civil community. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of the DRC.
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Board Reunion Social

6/27/2024

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Current and past members of the DRC's Board of Directors gathered at the home of former Board President Mickey Lahmann on June 26th to honor and bid farewell to Jody Suhrbier Leff, who is leaving the organization after nearly eight years as Executive Director.  Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make this special event a success.
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A Celebration of Peacemakers 2024

5/7/2024

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On Sunday, May 5th, we gathered at South Puget Sound Community College's Lacey Campus for A Celebration of Peacemakers. This event honored our volunteers, supporters, advocates, and community partners - all those whose efforts help create a more civil and peaceful community. 

Highlights of the afternoon were a special tribute to Jody Suhrbier Leff, who is leaving the DRC after nearly eight years as its Executive Director, and presentation of the of the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award to Rev. Corey Passons, Interfaith Relations Program Manager at Olympia's Interfaith Works. 

Scroll down to view the photo gallery!

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Jody Suhrbier Leff

DRC Executive Director
Tribute to Jody - Click to read
Empowering. Caring. Innovative. Courageous. These words describe Jody, who has led the Dispute Resolution Center since 2016. During her time at the helm, she has been instrumental in the DRC’s growth and transformation, including significant increases in funding, staff, volunteers, services, and the number of people served each year.

A strong collaborative partner on the local, state and national levels, Jody served as Co-president, and later as Interim Executive Director, for Resolution Washington, the network of Washington’s 21 DRCs, and as a board member for the National Association for Community Mediation. Her advocacy efforts helped secure a significant increase in state funding for DRCs across Washington state.

Jody oversaw the DRC’s office move to its current West Olympia location, and then the further expansion of that space. Most significantly, she successfully navigated the DRC through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion of resources to address the eviction crisis, and re-envisioning mediation and training services to provide these resources online.

We applaud Jody for all she’s done to advance the mission of the DRC and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
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Rev. Corey Passons

2024 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award Recipient
Tribute to COrey - CLICK TO READ
An ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ, and Minister with Community for Interfaith Celebration, Corey has served as Interfaith Relations Program Manager at Olympia’s Interfaith Works since 2020. In this role he seeks to deepen connection,
understanding, and collaboration among the 30+ diverse congregations and affiliated organizations that make up Interfaith Works, to expand these efforts into the wider community.
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The work that perhaps best exemplifies Corey’s commitment to promoting dialog, restorative justice and healing is an annual event called Resetting Our Sacred Table. Through collaboration with members of local tribes and acknowledging the legacy of colonization and suffering of indigenous peoples, this initiative re-thinks and re-casts Thanksgiving with the metaphor of the table as a place of community, sharing and nourishment for all.

Corey is guided by his commitment to strengthening civil discourse and civic harmony as a means to deepen relationships, especially where there are disparate histories and perceptions. His efforts to educate the greater community on historic injustice, and to foster healing and growth, are especially important during this time of ideological divides.

Thank you, Corey, for your dedication to this important work.

To read a special profile of Rev. Corey Passons and the Peacemaker Award recently published in Thurston Talk, Click here to follow the article! ​

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Conflict Resolution Day Open House

10/22/2023

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Thanks to all the DRC volunteers, supporters and community leaders who attended our Open House on October 19th to mark Conflict Resolution Day.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to connect in-person with DRC staff and each other, and to show off our expanded mediation space and Training Center.
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Staff Introductions!

7/25/2023

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 As a learning organization, the DRC is constantly evolving and changing to meet the needs of our community. Whether it is staff transitions, new or sunsetting programs, or simply the changing of the seasons, there is always so much change happening around us. We recognize we can get lost in the work that do and sometimes forget to pause and reconnect with each other. 
We want to offer you the opportunity to get to know a little bit about the current DRC staff! Feel free to reach out with any questions that may come up or if you see you have something in common! 
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Jody Suhrbier - Executive Director
Jody started at the DRC in 2003  as a volunteer grant writer and stepped into her position as Executive Director in 2016. She has a graduate degree in Non-Profit management and loves dance of all types. The top item on her bucket list is learning to overcome her fear of the water and learn to swim. Jody's hidden talent is parallel parking!
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Elizabeth Drake - Associate Director
Elizabeth came to the DRC as a mediator in 2019 and was brought on as staff in 2022. With her background as a non-partisan researcher, she highly values the role of the neutral third-party that mediation offers. She loves being outdoors, plays the ukulele for fun, and competed in an Ultimate Frisbee national tournament on a women's master's team. 
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Alice Sharrett - Mediation Manager
Encouraged by a former staff member, Alice began volunteering at the DRC in 2013 and joined as staff in 2017. She has extensive experience coordinating volunteers and admires the collaborative culture the DRC offers to it's staff, volunteers, and the community at large. Alice loves being in the natural world and hikes often.
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Ash Edmonds - Volunteer Manager
Ash interned at the DRC in 2021 through the Counseling Skills Program while finishing their B.A. at Evergreen State College. They appreciate the ability to tangibly create opportunities for growth and understanding within our community that the DRC provides. For fun, Ash loves to create and play games, especially table top games. Top item on their bucket list: make a bucket list!
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Jennifer Miller - Business Manager
Jennifer began volunteering in 2014 and finally joined the DRC staff in 2015.  Jennifer has her bachelor's degree in English Literature and worked as a K-12 teacher. Currently, Jennifer is welcoming and supporting Afghan newcomers to Olympia and Seattle and enjoys showing them the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. 
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Jill Busby - Training Manager
Jill started at the DRC in January 2023. She has substantial  experience in the nonprofit sector specializing in diversity and inclusion. She is a filmmaker and a writer, and published her book, "Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity" in 2021. Jill will be stepping away from her position as Training Manager in August for her dream job. Bittersweet!
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Joe Sanders - Community Engagement Manager
Joe began working at the DRC in 2016 as a semi-recent Olympia transplant. He brought his life experience in marketing, communications, and fundraisings. Joe has a passion for photography and travel and has lived overseas in New Zealand and India. He hopes to one day have his photography published in a travel guide like Lonely Planet. 
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Ken Stuto - Mediation Coordinator
Ken started working in the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program in 2022. Originally from New York, Ken moved to Olympia in the late 2010s. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son who is named after a character in the Assassin's Creed franchise.
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Leah Rietema - Lead Trainer
Leah began working at the DRC in 2022 through a family connection who mentioned an open position. She graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Speech Communication and really appreciates how important and impactful the work of conflict resolution is. Leah loves musicals and feels comforted listening to the songs from her favorites. 
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Luis Manzo - Business Resources Manager
Luis came to the DRC in 2022 as the Housing Program Manager. He felt a calling to address the housing crisis and is fulfilled by being a part of the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program and the Renter Certification Course. Luis is an avid comic book collector and he even writes and draws his own. 
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Olivia Huebner - Training Coordinator
Olivia is our newest addition to the DRC team, starting in May 2023. She received her B.A. with a focus in Psychology, Media Arts, and Communications and is also a touring musician! Olivia's hidden talent is her Elvis impersonations and welcomes everyone to stop by to get a peek!
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Robyn Togesen - Administrative Services Manager
Robyn began as an intern at the DRC in 2020 and was hired on as staff in 2021. She joined the team while finishing her B.A. in Social Work and is currently working toward her M.A. in Organizational Leadership. Robyn loves to travel and lived in Germany as an Au Pair. Her favorite traveling activity is getting to experience local cuisine. 
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Yul Gamboa - Bilingual Mediation Services Coordinator
Yul came to the DRC in May 2021 to support the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program with community resources. He is currently finishing his master's in Education Policy and Leadership. Yul is always on the lookout for rivers to swim and dive as well as Mulberry, Marion, and Salmonberry bushes around Thurston County to forage. 
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2023 Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

7/25/2023

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A big THANK YOU to all those who were able to join us and make this year's annual volunteer appreciation picnic a super special event! We relish every opportunity to celebrate you, without whom the work we do would not be possible!
We are so appreciative to our amazing Board of Directors who brought snacks and libations and spent the afternoon grilling in under the sun! Another big thanks to all the volunteers who brought dishes to share! There were delicious salads, stir-frys, and desserts! 
We already can't wait to see you all next year!
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A Celebration of Peacemakers

6/2/2023

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On Sunday, May 7th, we gathered at Lacey Community Center for A Celebration of Peacemakers.  The DRC's first large indoor, in-person gathering since 2019, this new event honored our volunteers, supporters, advocates and community partners - all those whose efforts help create a more civil and peaceful community. 

The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award to Anne Larsen, in recognition of her community service.  Anne Developed the Crisis Response Unit and Familiar Faces Program.  These programs focus on community members in crisis due to poverty, trauma, and mental health issues or substance disorders, with the goal of connecting clients to housing, medical care, treatment, and to their families.

The presence of several past recipients of the Peacemaker Award, or family representatives, made this a doubly-special gathering.
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Past Peacemaker Award Recipients.
L-R Evan Ferber, Glen Anderson, Rabbi Seth Goldstein, Anne Larsen, Kathy Baro Friedt, Betty Utter, Matt Grant, Jose Gutierrez (deceased - photo held by his sister, Stella Haioulani), Shelly Willis, Mary Fairhurst,  (deceased - photo held by Shelly Willis)
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Celebrating Volunteers and the 2022 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award Recipient

8/31/2022

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Thank you to everyone that was able to join us for our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. We love any opportunity to spend quality time with you! Also a big thanks to Bayview Catering for providing a delicious BBQ Pork spread!

We are so grateful that our 2022 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award Recipient's family was able to join us to accept the award on his behalf. Learn more about Jose Gutierrez Jr. below. 

Jose Gutierrez Jr. - 2022 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award Recipient

Named in honor of Evan Ferber, the DRC's founding executive director, this annual award recognizes those who have provided extraordinary leadership in promoting peace, and strengthening civil discourse and civic harmony.  This year  an outstanding individual was chosen who lived these ideals in his life and career – Jose Gutierrez Jr.
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 Jose served his local community in countless roles, since the early age of 12, using his gifts as a man of faith, an ​educator, mentor, professor, DJ, philanthropist, advocate, certified mediator, founder, leader, entertainer, philosopher, and innovator.

Jose was a charismatic & iconic leader in his community, opposing injustice of all kinds creating dynamic solutions to comprehensive problems that many shy away from. Because of his passion for serving, Jose has spent a lifetime dedicated to being a peacemaker. As a leader, he has stood in the middle of crisis, speaking truth to power while offering practical, innovative, and progressive solutions. He was and is truly a local legend and his contributions to humanity are a reflection of what it means to love, lead and serve.
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Jose saw conflict as an opportunity to creatively reach a common ground using various forms of the arts and media to reach people of all walks of life; synthesizing his gifts and professional knowledge as a philosopher, poet, Hip-Hop artist, DJ, journalist, professor, and Certified Mediator imparting life-long tools, skills and wisdom to his diverse audience.

Mother Teresa once said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Jose’s life’s work has been an embodiment of that sentiment. We were honored to present this award to Jose’s sister Stella Hoioulani at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic August 10, 2022.
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System Outage - 2/28/2022

2/28/2022

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Around 9:00 this morning, the DRC office experienced a system outage that affected our ability to access our server and answer phones. This has immediately become our highest priority and technical support is working to identify the source of the problem and get us back up and running.

Many staff members have returned home to work remotely and continue to provide services to our community as best as we can. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience  this may have caused to our volunteers, our clients, and our community. We understand the impact an outage can have on people's lives and we thank you for your patience and support while get our systems back online.

If you have an urgent need in the meantime, please contact Robyn Togesen and we will do our best to help until we get things back to normal.

Update - 2/28/2022 2:53 pm: Our services are now back online and we are fully able to return to normal operations. Thank you again for your patience and understanding!

P.S. Because our phone systems were inaccessible from 9:00 am to about 3:00 pm, deadlines for Eviction Resolution Program cases will be extended through end of business tomorrow, March 1, 2022 to accommodate this outage.
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