Letter from Interim Executive Director, Whitney Trumble

Dear CCR Community,

Greetings! It was wonderful to see so many of you at our recent Volunteer Appreciation Party – we had a lovely time at Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern (see pics below!). CCR could not do this work without the dedicated individuals who make up our volunteer mediators, Board, Auxiliary Board, staff, funders and partners. THANK YOU!

We also want to thank those who attended former Executive Director Cassie Lively’s farewell party at Flo & Santos in July. We are deeply grateful to Cassie for her 20 years of dedication to CCR, and her inspiring leadership as Executive Director.

As we look ahead, CCR is responding to the needs of our community, and preparing for a busy fall training students through our law school partnerships. We are excited to be developing a new co-mediation training and a more robust facilitation model, which we look forward to rolling out soon.

Thank you for your continued commitment to CCR!

Best, Whitney

Volunteer Appreciation Party

CCR had a fantastic time celebrating our AMAZING volunteers at Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern on September 11th! Volunteers were wined and dined, lauded and applauded, and CCR is so grateful for all of their work and dedication - thank you all!

View all Volunteer Appreciation Photos HERE

Congratulations to all the awardees!

Peacemaker of the Year

Linda Durack

Trainer of the Year

Joe Gosselin

Steve Gilford Distinguished Service Award

Betsy Lehman

Siempre Presente

Gabriela Leon

Last Minute Heroes

Alanna Blazer & Jonathan Baker

David Steiner Devoted Volunteer

Laurie Jacker

Jessica & Jeff Silent Auction Superstar

Kelli Garcia

Check out all of the event photos and awardees via our Zlideshow! Thank you to the Volunteer Council for providing this great way to view the event!

View the Zlideshow HERE

CCR was sad to say goodbye to former Executive Director Cassie Lively, but had a wonderful time celebrating her next endeavor with AAA-ICDR!

CCR's Annual Event took place on May 8th at Kaiser Tiger. Attendance and event sponsorships were higher than last year, and CCR was excited to be able to invite past mediation participants to attend free of cost!

See all Enchanted Garden photos HERE

Program partners enjoy CCR's Annual Event.

CCR's Best-Dressed couple Colette Davion-Douglas and Clarke Douglas at the Annual Event.

The Training Team would like to recognize Mark Bergner for Commitment to Serving the Community and Inclusivity. When coaching sims, Mark is clear and consistent with the way he explains the CCR model, and he does so while valuing individual differences and tailoring his feedback to each participant. We appreciate you, Mark!

The Mediation Services Team would like to recognize Kim Moran for Striving for Personal best and Commitment to Serving the Community. Kim goes beyond what is asked of her and is always looking for ways to connect with new organizations and stakeholders that may help us continue promoting our services. Her work on our Youth and Family programs is key to CCR. She not only supports the workshops at the JTDC as a trainer but also helps us navigate the scheduling of mediations for youth at the JTDC while coordinating volunteers for them.

Welcome

New Board Members!

David Crawford served as the 11th president of McCormick Theological Seminary and retired in June 2024. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, David is a trusted leader, respected lawyer, colleague, and team-builder.

David Crawford's full bio HERE

Allison Margolies is litigation partner at Sperling Kenny Nachwalter, focused on complex commercial litigation and antitrust cases. She also serves as a neutral mediator helping parties achieve consensus so they can amicably resolve commercial, employment, and personal disputes without the need for litigation.

Allison Margolies' full bio HERE

Hon. Michael Zink was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as Circuit Judge of Cook County in the Twentieth Subcircuit in November 2024. He began his judicial service in the Traffic Division and now presides over civil matters in the First Municipal Division. Hon. Michael Zink's full bio HERE

Thank You

Summer 2025 PILIs!

PILI Intern Alanna Blazer is a law student, at Chicago- Kent College of Law. She is passionate about helping families navigate conflict in a more compassionate and constructive way.

PILI Fellow Evan Myers is a 2025 graduate of Northwestern Law. Prior to pursuing his legal studies, he earned degrees in Economics and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019.

Welcome, Evelyn!

Congratulations to CCR Auxiliary Board Member and Volunteer Mediator Mitchell Bild and his wife Nicole on the birth of Evelyn!

Welcome, Jack!

Congratulations to CCR Volunteer Mediator and Coach Matthew Carroll and his wife on the birth of Jack!

Welcome, Oscar!

Congratulations to CCR Volunteer Mediator Michaela Kabat and her husband Michael Finn on the birth of Oscar (seen here with big brother Teo)!

Congratulations

MMP Graduates!

Jenna Beltrano (She/Her) is a values-driven leader and advocate dedicated to advancing equitable grantmaking practices that center community voice in the field of philanthropy and nonprofit. Through her role as Director of Programs – Grantmaking at the Evanston Community Foundation, Jenna focuses on developing grantmaking strategies and designs that supports nonprofit organizations and grassroots groups in building sustainable, community-driven solutions.

Jenna Beltrano's full bio HERE

Suzanne Mitchell is a retired lawyer.  She began her legal career at Jenner and Block in Chicago, but quickly turned toward an in-house career as a health and hospital law attorney. In Chicago, she worked at the American Hospital Association, the University of Chicago Hospitals, and as a law professor at Loyola University Law School.

Suzanne Mitchell's full bio HERE

Jeff Wakolbinger is an intellectual-property litigator and advisor to clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100s. He is a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (BCLP) in Chicago. Jeff regularly represents clients in consumer-goods, food-and-beverage, technology, retail, fashion, media, and entertainment sectors.

Jeff Wakolbinger's full bio HERE

Welcome

New Auxiliary Board Members!

Jo Gbujama is an Associate at Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP where he represents clients in complex and high-stakes civil litigation. He has held leadership roles in several bar associations and is a co-founder and board member of the Bridging the Gap Scholarship, a non-profit that provides scholarships and mentorship to diverse prospective law students. 

Jo Gbujama's full bio HERE

Owen Kartheiser graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison last year. He hopes to gain experience in government and public service, with aspirations of attending law school. He is looking forward to becoming a certified mediator.

Reed Silverman is a CCR volunteer mediator, former PILI Fellow at CCR, and a Corporate Associate at Winston & Strawn LLP. He received his J.D. from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, cum laude, in 2024 where he was a staff member of the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. 

Reed Silverman's full bio HERE

Sad News

CCR is very sad to share news of the passing of long-time Volunteer Mediator, Trainer, and Coach, Michael Nathanson. Michael volunteered with CCR for over 40 years. His insight, expertise, wisdom, and support for not only CCR but also mediation in Chicago more generally have been been profoundly impactful and he will be deeply missed.

Michael Nathanson's full bio HERE

CCR will be hosting a Memorial Gathering on Monday, October 20th in the evening at CCR's office. If you have any questions please contact Admin Assistant Katey Baker-Smith at kbakersmith@ccrchicago.org

RSVP to the Memorial Gathering HERE

Resource Reminder

for Volunteers

Don't forget about CCR's exciting addition to our website. We now have a “Volunteer Log In” option in the upper right corner of the home page. When you click it, you can create an account which, after approval by CCR staff, provides access to role-appropriate resources.

Active mediators will find things like Continuing Ed videos, the CCR Training Manual, Mediator Quick-Start Guide, Agreement Forms, and more. There are unique pages for Coaches and Board Members as well. These resources are still under construction, but we will be adding more very soon.

Please register for your account today and get access to these often-asked for resources all in one central location!

Reach out to Katey Baker-Smith with any questions: kbakersmith@ccrchicago.org

Ways to Give!!

We are excited to share that there are now more ways to support CCR! Visit the CCR website HERE to find information about making donations via:

• Qualified Charitable Distributions
• Donor Advised Funds
• Matching Gifts
• Beneficiary Designations
• Bequests through Wills or Revocable (Living) Trusts

The Association for Conflict Resolution's 25th Conference is coming up, November 5-7 in Philadelphia, PA. CCR's very own Volunteer Director Israel Putnam and former Executive Director Cassie Lively, with Resolution Systems Institute's Stephen Sullivan, are presenting during a breakout session on "Working to Build Equity in Volunteer Mediator Pools: Strategies and Resources"! They'll be sharing the process of auditing and reimagining CCR's Mediator Mentorship Program that was conducted with Resolution Systems Institute and made possible with funding from the American Arbitration Association - International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

Learn more about the ACR Conference and register HERE

Have you seen a member of the CCR Community doing a great job demonstrating one of our Core Values? Nominate them to be featured in Caucus!

Do you have general thoughts/comments/ideas related to our Core Values initiative? Let us know! 

Share your thoughts HERE.

Join us for 

Reflective Practice Group! 

Every first Wednesday of the month at noon via Zoom. Discuss a recent mediation, trends in ADR, or anything mediation-related with CCR staff and your fellow volunteers.

Join the fun via the Zoom link here.

Password: Magic

Help Us Plan an Upcoming

Continuing Ed Program!

Do you have a great idea for

a speaker or topic for an upcoming Continuing Ed Program? If so, we would love to hear your thoughts.

Please email Israel to connect about your ideas.

Connect with us

Learn more about CCR and our Core Values HERE!