Projects by Policy Focus Area

Early Childcare Regulations and Workforce Development, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC): conduct assessments and mediated meetings among staff to overhaul regulatory regime and prepare a workforce development plan for childcare providers statewide.

GEAR UP Program, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education: negotiated rulemaking to develop federal regulations to create Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a mentoring, tutoring, academic enrichment, and scholarship program for low income students created by Congress.

Reduce Regulatory Burden regarding Eligibility for Student Loan programs, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education: negotiated rulemaking to develop federal regulations for FFEL, Perkins, Stafford, and Direct student loan programs in response to issues raised by the higher education community through the FED UP process (short for “Upping the Effectiveness of Our Federal Student Aid Programs”), initiated by Congress to reduce regulatory burden.

Student Borrower Defenses, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education: negotiated rulemaking concerning borrower defenses Regulations as required under the 1992 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Student Loan Regulations, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education: negotiated rulemaking to develop federal regulations for Federal Family Education Loan, Direct Loan, and Perkins loan programs as required by the 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965.

National Fisheries Enforcement Summit, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC): assessed, designed, and facilitated Summit, attended by broad array of stakeholders and experts, to improve NOAA’s enforcement programs to protect and sustain the nation's marine resources. It was held in response to deficiencies identified by the DOC Inspector General.

Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Delft, Netherlands: workshop for environmental professionals and academics on negotiation fundamentals, mediation and interactive policymaking processes, and complex stakeholder involvement. The workshop included consultation on European Union projects on sediments in Dutch waterways.

Assabet River Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) Permit Appeals, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: assessment and mediation involving U.S. EPA, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, five municipalities, a local environmental organization, and a threat of litigation by a national environmental organization as well as Congressional interest. The permit appeals related to four separate wastewater treatment plants and their combined impact on the Assabet River.

Clean Air Act, Tier 2 Motor Vehicle Emission Standards and Gasoline Sulfur Control Requirements Rule, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality and Standards Division and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Team within the Office of the Administrator: convening assessment on proposed regulations to allow streamlined permitting process for oil refineries to comply with the Clean Air Act, Tier 2 Rules, requested after concerns were raised by environmental justice advocates and refinery “fence line” communities.

Coastal Stewardship Task Force U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: facilitated Coastal Stewardship Task Force site visit meetings, designed to review NOAA’s coastal research, resource protection, and management programs to assure that NOAA’s resources are being used most effectively and that NOAA’s statutory mandates are properly implemented.

Common Sense Initiative, Iron and Steel Subcommittee, U.S. Environmental Agency, Office of Water and Region V: policy dialogue among steel industry, environmentalists, environmental justice advocates, state and federal government officials, and union representatives to develop recommendations for ways to regulate the steel industry that are “cleaner, cheaper, and smarter,” with a focus on permitting, brownfields, innovative technologies, and compliance. Winner of Hammer Award: National Partnership for Reinventing Government.

Interagency Endangered Species Act (ESA) Workshop: U.S. Environmental Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and National Marine Fisheries Service: conducted an assessment and designed and facilitated a workshop to prepare consensus recommendations for coordination and implementation of the ESA with regard to ESA effects determinations and consultations for pesticides.

McKin Superfund Site Remedy Selection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund, Region I: convening assessment for a mediation process to review and select remedies for clean up of McKin Superfund Site after the responsible parties requested a remedy review to determine the effectiveness of a pump and treat system in removing PCBs from ground water.

Take Reduction Plan for U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service: mediated negotiations for plan to reduce incidental take of marine mammals during commercial fishing operations as required under the 1994 Amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Stakeholders, including fishermen, conservationists, state and federal government agencies, scientists, regional fisheries management councils, and off-shore concerns, sought to protect marine mammals and maintain viable fisheries.

Subcommittee for Science Priorities, Science Policy Council, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): designed and facilitated process to assist EPA leadership to identify cross-agency science priorities.

Canadian Constitutional Convention: part of a team that designed format of the constitutional convention to address secession of Quebec and federal power sharing.

Governing Protocols for the National Commission on Energy Policy: developed governing protocols for high level bi-partisan Commission, including decision-making rules, voting procedures, guidelines for media interactions, and procedures for filling Commissioner vacancies. The NCEP prepares consensus national energy plans.

Jerusalem Inter Cultural Center: consultation on implementation of Ramot Municipal Council charter, which was constrained by endemic religious-secular dispute.

Redistricting Reform, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University: assessment for application of public policy mediation tools to achieve redistricting reform in Illinois and Ohio to reduce political polarization.

Darfur Diaspora Peace Process Workshop, in conjunction with the U.S. Institute of Peace: workshop for members of the Darfur Leaders Network, a group of Darfurian exiles in the United States working to unify rebel groups and influence the United Nations and African Union-sponsored Darfur Peace Talks.

Gender and Inclusive Mediation Processes Seminar, Department of Political Affairs, United Nations: facilitated gender and mediation training for members of the mediation standby team, mediation support unit, gender advisors, and political affairs officers from headquarters and field missions.

Middle East Fellows Dialogue, Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University: facilitated discussions among Israeli and Palestinian health care professionals to build relationships to support joint health care projects in the West Bank and Gaza.

UN Civil Society Outreach Symposium, co-sponsored by The Stanley Foundation and the World Federation of United Nations Associations under the Patronage of the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations: designed and facilitated meeting of non-governmental organization leaders, United Nations senior staff, permanent representatives to the United Nations, and multi-lateral finance organization officials to recommend strategies for strengthening the relationship between civil society and the UN System.

Cultural Survival, Inc.: facilitated a joint meeting of the Board of Directors and the newly formed Program Council, composed of Indigenous Peoples, to discuss and decide how to further the organization’s mission of assisting Indigenous Peoples around the world.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI): conducted assessment, based on in-depth interviews with FoEI members from its 6 regions: North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific, to consider the organization’s readiness to implement its strategic plan, which was prepared in response to internal conflict across its network of almost seventy national member groups.

Water on the West Bank Simulation: simulates a six-party, mediated negotiation between Israelis and Palestinians concerning a proposed project to drill a deep water well on the West Bank. This simulation has been used to train officials from Israel’s Ministry of Justice, Palestinian and Israeli environmental mediators, and at numerous conflict resolution workshops and mediation trainings around the world.

Affordable Housing Formula Negotiated Rulemaking Committee, Office of Native American Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: facilitated committee’s review of public comments received after publication of a proposed rule to allocate federal resources for affordable housing under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA). The Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing and members of twenty-nine Native American and Eskimo tribes participated.

Affordable Housing Negotiations: Defining Fair Share Simulation, created for Fannie Mae and National Association of Home Builders: simulation involving mediated negotiations among municipalities to develop a fair share formula that will result in affordable housing unit allocations.

East Falls Brownfields Redevelopment Simulation, created for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Naugatuck Valley Brownfields Workshop on Consensus Building: used to train local government officials, developers, community activists, and citizens in negotiation techniques to streamline brownfields redevelopment. Co-authored with the Consensus Building Institute.

Regulatory Relief in Housing, Home Builders Association of Connecticut/ Fannie Mae Foundation: worked with stakeholders to identify opportunities for regulatory relief in state empowerment zones to reduce housing costs and stimulate development in low income areas.

Select Brownfields Sites for Phase I Site Assessment, in New Bedford, MA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: city-wide task group developed a process to identify priority sites, from a list of 300+ sites, to determine allocation of existing and future phase I brownfield assessment funds.

Worker Safety Standards for Construction Cranes, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor: negotiated rulemaking process to develop worker safety standards for the use of cranes and derricks in construction (29 Code of Federal Regulations part 1926, subpart N) to revise existing OSHA standards that date back to 1968.

Central Landfill Action Committee, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund, Region I: assessment and recommendations for Johnston Central Landfill (RI) Action Committee, a group composed of legislators, federal and state environmental officials, mayor and city council members, and citizens from neighborhoods abutting landfill, convened to address public health concerns.

Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, Office of Children’s Health Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: policy dialogue among doctors, public health specialists, child advocates, environmental justice advocates, environmentalists, state and federal government officials, and representatives of pesticide, pharmaceutical, agricultural and chemical industries and farm workers, to develop recommendations to EPA to protect children from environmental threats.

Human Studies Review Board (HSRB), Office of the Science Advisor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: facilitation and consultation services to support the HSRB, a federal advisory committee, which provides scientific and ethical reviews of proposed studies and protocols for third party research conducted with human subjects.

National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 Consultation on the Ariel Rios Murals, General Services Administration: facilitated discussions related to federal employee complaints regarding six historic murals in the Ariel Rios Building said to contain stereotyped-images of Native Americans, including some that employees claimed created a hostile work environment.

Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University: mediator mentor for week-long negotiation and mediation training for health care professionals.

Re-Evaluate Environmental Regulations to Ensure Protection of Children’s Health, Office of Children’s Health Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: representatives ranging from pesticide industry to environmental organizations selected technology-based regulations for re-evaluation as risk-based regulations to make them more protective of children’s health.

Multi-Party Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Training Framework, U.S. Department of Defense, Air Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution: advised and consulted on framework to be used to train Air Force officers in complex negotiations for crisis response and contingency planning.

National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, Harvard School of Public Health and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University: conflict resolution training for high-level government officials responsible for responding to bio-terrorist attacks.

Native American Lands Mitigation Program, U.S. Department of Defense: facilitated exercise and discussion of tribal and Department of Defense strategic planning process for addressing military impacts on American Indian and Alaskan Native lands.

Massachusetts Highway Department: facilitation training for highway and road designers and engineers in conjunction with the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution.

Traffic Forecasting Assumptions for Proposed Development on Cape Cod, Massachusetts: agreement on traffic forecasting assumptions to be used to assess impacts of CanalSide Commons, a proposed 850,000 sq. ft. mixed use development, as required to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act as well as minimum performance standards required by the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan (RPP).