“Rooted in Peace” brings the dispute resolution community together Oct. 8–9 to honor 30 years of PeaceBuilders and invest in the field’s future.
ALBANY, NY, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) will bring together mediators, attorneys, judges, educators, nonprofit leaders, students, community practitioners, and others committed to constructive conflict resolution at its 2026 Annual Conference, Rooted in Peace: One Tree, Many Branches, October 8–9, 2026.
The two-day conference begins with fully virtual programming on Thursday, October 8, followed by a hybrid conference on Friday, October 9, at the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York.
This year’s gathering will combine timely conversations about the changing practice of dispute resolution with two significant milestones: the 30th anniversary of NYSDRA’s Andrew Thomas PeaceBuilder Award and the public launch of the Lawrence H. Cooke Dispute Resolution Legacy Fund, a permanent endowment supporting the future of community dispute resolution in New York.
During the October 9 Celebration and Awards Luncheon, Andrew Thomas—NYSDRA Co-Founder and first Board President and longtime Executive Director of the Center for Dispute Settlement—will personally present the 2026 PeaceBuilder Award to the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO).
“This conference brings our community together to learn, connect, honor the work that brought us here, and imagine what we can build together for the future,” noted Theresa Hobbs, Executive Director of NYSDRA.
Exploring a Changing Conflict Resolution Landscape
Featuring more than 20 sessions, the conference will explore current issues facing the dispute resolution field and the communities it serves, including artificial intelligence, polarization, social media and conflict, ethics, practitioner well-being, emerging generations of ADR professionals, community-based peacebuilding, and the future of the profession.
Opening the conference on October 8, Susan Guthrie, Esq., Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution and founder of Guthrie Consulting & Media, will present “What the Machine Can’t Mediate: The Human Root of Dispute Resolution in a Founding Moment.” Guthrie will explore what remains distinctly human about mediation as artificial intelligence increasingly changes how professionals communicate, negotiate, and resolve disputes.
On October 9, Bill Doherty, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Braver Angels, will present “Managing Differences in a Polarized World.” His keynote will address one of the most pressing challenges facing communities today: how people can engage constructively across deeply-held differences.
Conference presenters represent organizations and institutions from across the field, including the American Arbitration Association, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), the New York State Unified Court System, Braver Angels, and Community Dispute Resolution Centers throughout New York State.
Celebrating 30 Years of Peacebuilding
The 2026 conference will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Andrew Thomas PeaceBuilder Award. For three decades, the award has recognized individuals and organizations whose leadership, service, and commitment to constructive conflict resolution have strengthened communities and advanced peacebuilding.
This year’s recipient, the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), is being recognized for its longstanding leadership in advancing mediation and other collaborative approaches to conflict resolution.
Established by the Maryland Judiciary, MACRO has helped build and support conflict resolution programs throughout Maryland, expanding the use of mediation and other non-adversarial processes within the courts and in communities. Its work has helped make collaborative conflict resolution an important component of Maryland’s approach to access to justice and the constructive resolution of disputes.
Lou Gieszl, who helped build MACRO from the ground up as its original Deputy Director and now serves as Assistant State Court Administrator for Programs in the Maryland Judiciary, will travel to Albany to accept the award on MACRO’s behalf.
Making this milestone gathering even more significant, several leaders whose work helped establish and advance community dispute resolution in New York will be in attendance. Joining the ceremony will be Tom Christian, Founding State Director of the New York State Unified Court System’s Community Dispute Resolution Centers Program (1981–1996), and Mark Collins, former Assistant Coordinator of the Unified Court System’s ADR Programs and recipient of the 2010 Lawrence Cooke Peace Innovator Award.
Their presence offers a rare opportunity to bring together some of the people who helped establish the roots of community dispute resolution with the practitioners, staff, volunteers, and emerging leaders who are carrying that work forward today—a particularly fitting reflection of this year’s theme, Rooted in Peace: One Tree, Many Branches.
Building a Legacy for the Future
The October 9 luncheon will also mark the public launch of the Lawrence H. Cooke Dispute Resolution Legacy Fund, initiating a three-year campaign to build a permanent endowment in honor of the former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, whose vision helped create New York’s Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) Program.
As part of the campaign, NYSDRA will display its Founding Tree at the Annual Conference, recognizing the individuals and organizations whose early contributions are helping establish the Fund. Gifts recognized as Founding contributions will be accepted through October 31, 2026.
The Honorable Lawrence K. Marks, former Chief Administrative Judge of the New York State Unified Court System and a distinguished longtime champion of access to justice and alternative dispute resolution, is serving as Campaign Chair. Judge Marks will offer remarks at the luncheon, bringing his leadership and deep commitment to dispute resolution to an effort that carries Judge Cooke’s vision forward for future generations.
Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities
The NYSDRA Annual Conference is open to dispute resolution professionals as well as attorneys, educators, students, nonprofit and community leaders, public servants, and members of the public interested in improving how individuals and communities understand and resolve conflict.
Organizations and businesses are also invited to participate through conference sponsorship, vendor, and exhibitor opportunities.
The complete conference agenda, speaker information, registration, and sponsorship opportunities are available at NYSDRA 2006 Annual Conference.
About NYSDRA
Founded in 1985, the New York State Dispute Resolution Association promotes and strengthens the use of dispute resolution throughout New York State. Through training, advocacy, and collaboration with courts, government agencies, and community organizations, NYSDRA supports a statewide network of Community Dispute Resolution Centers that provide mediation and restorative practices to individuals, families, and communities.
Theresa Hobbs
NYSDRA
+1 518-687-2240
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