We are experienced mediators and facilitators who can work as a team to support you or your group in interpersonal conflicts, or help you learn new skills. We believe that conflict can be an opportunity for growth, and if well-managed, can lead to improved relationships.
Valoree Hanson
Executive Director
Val integrates her passion for conflict transformation by helping educators, organizations, and community members learn about and utilize Restorative Practices. With a J.D. from NCCU School of Law, Val has trained and facilitated across North Carolina, including restorative justice processes for District Superior Court, Juvenile Justice, schools, community organizations, law enforcement, and self-referred clients. She teaches the inaugural Restorative Justice class for UNC’s Department of Public Policy.
vhanson@nulldisputesettlement.org
(919) 929-8800, ext. 17
Will Dudenhausen
Training Director
Will has a BA from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. Since 2005 he has trained thousands of people throughout North Carolina in mediation, conflict resolution, de-escalation, and meeting facilitation. As Training Director, he designs curriculum for use with clients in government, business, universities and community organizations. Will believes conflict resolution skills help groups work together more efficiently, leading to better outcomes and happier people. Will also works closely with DSC’s Group Facilitation Program.
will@nulldisputesettlement.org
(919) 929-8800, ext 22
Maggie Ellis Chotas
Group Facilitation Director
Maggie’s passion is working with leaders, teams, agencies, and sectors to maximize collaboration and communication. She has deep experience as a mediator and facilitator with local governments, education from PreK through higher ed, coalitions, and nonprofits. Always learning, she has an M.A. from St. Johns College and an M.S.A. from UNC-CH and is certified in Emotional Intelligence/360s, Conflict Dynamics, Workplace Mediation, and Confronting Whiteness. Other training includes racial equity, Nonviolent Communication, and restorative practice. She is the co-author of the award-winning Power Through Partnership: How Women Lead Better Together.
mchotas@nulldisputesettlement.org
(919) 929-8800, ext. 23
CJ Suitt
Restorative Practices Associate
CJ (he,him/they,them) is a Facilitator and Arts Educator whose work is rooted in storytelling and social justice. He is a past Poet Laureate of Chapel Hill. For 15 years, CJ has worked in conflict resolution and peace-making, teaching 4th and 5th graders in Oakland, CA, and facilitating restorative justice circles with college and community groups nationally. Through his career as an educator, he has worked with youth and adults awaiting trial, and high school and college-aged men pushing to redefine masculinity. He aims to be a bridge for communities who can’t always see themselves in each other.
(919) 929-8800 ext. 13
Laura Swartz
Mediation and Facilitation Associate
Laura is a graduate of Duke University and NCCU School of Law, where she was Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review, and later taught Mediation as an Adjunct Professor. She has mediated juvenile, employment, community, and district court cases in Oregon and North Carolina. At DSC, she assists with complex facilitation projects and coordinates the mediation program.
lswartz@nulldisputesettlement.org
(919) 929-8800 ext. 24
Elizabeth Hambourger
Restorative Justice Associate
Elizabeth grew up in North Carolina and is an attorney (UNC Law School, 2001) who spent 20 years representing people on death row and others in prison. She began practicing restorative justice and circle-keeping with Restorative Justice Durham. At DSC, she leads efforts to use restorative justice in the local court system and helps develop a corps of restorative practitioners in our community. She sees restorative justice as a positive path forward in a culture hooked on shame and punishment.
elizabeth@nulldisputesettlement.org
(919) 929-8800 ext. 18