TAPM Newsletter

February 2024

Notes from the Board

As we progress through the winter season, we at TAPM remain in awe at the collective commitment and dedication you bring to your peacemaking work across the state. Thank you for your continued membership and active participation. Your contributions not only enhance the fabric of our organization but also play a pivotal role in fostering harmony and resolution within our communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with all of you who are making such a positive difference in so many lives.  As we look forward to the promise of spring, we eagerly anticipate the renewal and growth it brings. Together, we will continue to make a meaningful impact.

TAPM Board

“Do something wonderful. People may imitate it.” 

-Albert Schweitzer

News from TAPM

Thanks to Attendees of February's Speaker Series Event!

TAPM continued its Speaker Series presentations by bringing Douglas Mintz, a retired judge, who spoke from a judicial perspective about how mediation and the legal system connect. He shared advice, personal experiences, and provided a unique perspective that attendees found very useful. This recording will be available on our website for any TAPM member who wishes to view it.

Nominations Still Open for the 2024 Grayfred Gray Award

Our annual workshop in April will feature the Grayfred Gray Award for Public Service in Mediation. This is awarded to stellar peacebuilders regionally, rotating each year among the regions of Tennessee. This year’s award is for an individual in the Western section of the state. We need your help in identifying our state’s leaders in peacebuilding. Please nominate members from western TN who you believe are suited for this award. 

More details on the award can be found on our website. Click below to submit your nominee:

Still Accepting Nominations for TAPM Board Members

We Need New Board Members.  Ours is a volunteer board, yet it’s a working board. We work hard to build TAPM, promote mediation, and to support our mediators. We need members of the board who are willing to step into that mission. We especially would like to see a younger and more diverse board, dedicated to making TAPM a model for mediation associations throughout the country. If you are interested or know someone who is an active member who you might recommend, please contact Kimberly Best (kim@bestconflictsolutions.com). 

We vote on board members prior to the Annual Workshop, so we’d like to get moving on this nomination process! We look forward to hearing from you.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣-𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙨: 𝘼 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

by Kimberly Best, TAPM Board President

As we approach our annual workshop, memories from our pre-COVID meetings at Lipscomb University come to mind. I've heard similar reflections from some of you, expressing a longing for the days of face-to-face interaction. We're in a familiar bind as we consider the format for our Annual Workshop: the ease and inclusivity of a virtual platform like Zoom versus the undeniable appeal of meeting in person.

Recently, I led a conflict management workshop on-site for a healthcare system’s managers. It was refreshing to engage directly with participants, sharing laughs and stories in a way that's challenging to replicate virtually. Being in the same room added an extra dimension to our interactions that I hadn't fully appreciated until then.

Don't get me wrong—I'm grateful for technology like Zoom that keeps our practice thriving across distances. It brings our work to wider audiences and facilitates connections that would otherwise be impossible. We achieve equally significant results online, with virtual communication having its own distinctive advantages.

Yet, there's something missing that you only get from in-person exchanges—the spontaneous energy in the room, the handshake, or just sharing a moment over some cookies. These small interactions build a different type of connection. I have to wonder how this is also missing in my on-line mediations. Emotions are contagious, yet you have to be near to catch them.

Despite the effectiveness of our virtual workshops, they undoubtedly carry a different flavor than those we conduct in person. Each approach has its merits, and perhaps our goal should be to capture the best of both worlds in our professional endeavors.

Looking forward to discussing this further with you all, be it over a screen or in a shared physical space.

We Need Your Help - TAPM Membership Drive

Upcoming Events

TAPM Workshop Series Presents: Zena Zumeta

Caucus or Joint Session

Monday, March 4, 2024

(11:00am-1:00pmCT, 12:00-2:00pmET)

Online via Zoom

At 11amCT/12pmET: Join us for “Caucus or Joint Session?” an insightful and interactive workshop brought to us by Zena Zumeta. Videos of a simulation of a small business dispute show comparative mediation techniques by Zena Zumeta, JD and Jonathan Muth, JD, both highly regarded mediators in Michigan. Zena Zumeta uses the facilitative style in mostly joint sessions; Jon Muth uses the evaluative style in mostly caucus sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of caucus style and joint session style of mediation across the array of areas of mediation with Zena showing pieces of both videos. We hope you can join us for this 2-hour interactive workshop!!

2 hours of General CLE

2 hours of Family or General CME

Speaker Bio: Internationally known as both a mediator and trainer of mediators, Zena D. Zumeta is president of the Mediation Training & Consultation Institute, Zena Zumeta Mediation Services, and The Collaborative Workplace in Ann Arbor, Michigan.



She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Ms. Zumeta is a former board member and president of the Academy of Family Mediators (now merged into the Association for Conflict Resolution), past president of the Michigan Council for Family and Divorce Mediation, and past Regional Vice President of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution. She is a past member of the Editorial Board of the American Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Magazine.

Ms. Zumeta has extensive experience as a trainer, mediator, facilitator and consultant. She has been providing mediation services since 1981. She is an approved civil and family mediator in Michigan, and an approved mediation trainer for Michigan and many other states. She has taught at Hamline University School of Law, and is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University School of Law's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, and Cooley Law School.

Ms. Zumeta is the recipient of the Family Mediation Council-Michigan Lifetime Achievement in Mediation Award; the National Education Association/Saturn Corporation Award for Union-Management Collaboration; the John Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award from the Association for Conflict Resolution; and the Kumba Award from the National Conference on Minorities in ADR.

To register for this event, click below:

TAPM Annual Seminar:

Current Trends and Emerging Pathways in Mediation

Friday, April 5th, 2024

(8:00am-3:30pmCT, 9:00am-4:30pmET)

Online via Zoom

5 hours CLE/CME pending

Registration is open for our April 5th TAPM Annual Workshop - “Current Trends and Emerging Pathways in Mediation.” This all-day, virtual event will take place over Zoom. Speakers will include Susan Guthrie (Mediation and AI), Zena Zumata (Mediation Preparation and Mediating with Attorneys), Laurel Stevenson (The Ethics of Co-Mediation), and more.

Price: $100 for members / $150 for non-members / $50 for students

Click here to register:

“Speak when you are angry and you will make

the best speech you will ever regret.”

–Ambrose Bierce 

Other Events

2024 ABA Dispute Resolution Spring Conference

Mastering the Future: Revolutionizing Dispute Resolution in a Dynamic World

April 10-13, 2024

San Diego, CA | Westin Gaslamp

Who should attend?

• Mediators and Arbitrators
• Ombuds and Legal Educators
• Judges and Dispute Resolution Leaders
• Attorney Advocates and Young Professionals
• Court Administrators
• Neutral Providers and ADR consumers

Program Details: The world is evolving rapidly, and our practices in dispute resolution will continue to evolve with it. This conference brings together the cutting edge of technology and professional strategy, offering over 50 high-impact sessions designed to immerse you in the next wave of dispute resolution advancements while also enhancing your essential dispute resolution skills. Stay ahead of the curve as you delve into the theoretical and practical dimensions of burgeoning technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, virtual reality, and cloud computing. Simultaneously, refine and enhance your core practice capabilities.

The 2024 Spring Conference is your chance to become an active participant in shaping the future of dispute resolution. Register here and contact Kimberly Best at kim@bestconflictsolutions if you are a TAPM member to receive a discount code!

For Further Reading...

Check out this article from Susan Guthrie, who was a TAPM Speaker Series presenter last year. This article is called "The 3 Things to Focus on if Your Practice is Failing to Thrive." Check out Susan Guthrie's upcoming presentation on Mediation and AI at the TAPM Annual Seminar on April 5th.