MediationWorks Professionals
 

MediationWorks’ principals and associates bring broad-based professional knowledge, expertise, and life experience to their practice.  Each holds advanced degrees in fields related to the prevention and resolution of conflict.

PRINCIPALS

Jeannette Purrington Twomey, J.D., is a principal of the firm.  She is a mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia and a member of the Virginia State Bar.  She is a frequent presenter before local and statewide groups on the subject of mediator ethics and professional responsibility.  Jeannette is past-President of Northern Virginia Mediation Service, a non-profit community mediation center.  Prior to founding MediationWorks in 1993, she had a background in law, local, and national government.  Jeannette established, and served as co-director of the Arlington County General District Court Mediation Program in 1992.  She is a Mentor Mediator and trainer in Virginia’s program for certification of court mediators.  Jeannette has mediated hundreds of cases relating to issues of divorce, employment elder care, and real estate.  She is active in the Virginia Mediation Network and the Association for Conflict Resolution.  She has served as an aide to a U.S. Senator and a USDA Assistant Secretary. Her undergraduate degree is from Hollins University and her law degree, from The American University.

Regina Olchowski, M. Ed., M.B.A, is also a principal in the firm.  She is a mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia.  Regina is a highly experienced mediator and conflict resolution trainer and has advanced training in mediating business, family, employment, and disability issues.  She has career experience in counseling, education, real estate, and business.  Regina has served as co-director of the General District Court Mediation Program in Arlington, Virginia, and was a founder of the program.  She has served on the Board of Northern Virginia Mediation Service and as its acting director.  Regina is one of eight mediators, chosen statewide, to mediate special education cases for the Virginia Department of Education.  She is a member of the Virginia Mediation Network and the Association for Conflict Resolution.  She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Wellesley College, a Master’s in Education from Boston University, a Master’s in Business Administration from George Mason University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Boston University.

ASSOCIATES

Elisabeth S. Bissell, J.D., is a mediator, arbitrator, and trainer experienced in business, family, and employment cases.  Ms. Bissell has specialized training from CDR Associates, Boulder Colorado, and Northern Virginia Mediation Service, Fairfax, Virginia.  She is skilled in on-line mediation of e-commerce disputes.  Ms. Bissell mediates in both the Virginia  and the District of Columbia court mediation programs.  She is the recipient of an outstanding service award for her role in developing the Fairfax County, Virginia, General District Court mediation program.  Since 2001, Ms. Bissell has served as an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau in the Autoline Dispute Resolution Program.  She is a a coordinator and trainer for Virginia Mediator Peer Consultation Project, a statewide professional development activity.  Her affiliations include membership in the Virginia Mediation Network and the Virginia and Illinois State Bars.  Ms. Bissell graduated with distinction with an A.B. degree in Economics from the University of Michigan, and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois.

Richard Cocozza, Ph.D. is is a consultant, trainer and mediator. He is certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to mediate court-referred cases. Richard specializes in public policy, organization problem solving, and conflict coaching. He received his doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution from the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), George Mason University, in 1998, and served as a Visiting Fellow at ICAR from 2004 to 2006. He also has an MA degree in public administration from George Washington University and is a graduate of the Senior Management Program at Harvard University. Richard has held several mid and senior level management positions in Executive Branch departments and agencies and managed a non-profit foundation established to facilitate communication, coordination and problem solving on environmental and natural resources issues for 31 U. S. Senators. Richard is affiliated with several professional organizations including the Federal Executive Institute. He has co-authored professional papers on problem-solving in the U.S. Senate and other public and private organizations, including “Managing Protracted and Deep Rooted Conflicts in the U. S. Senate” (2007, ICAR).

James Meditz is a mediator for commercial, workplace, family, divorce, and community disputes. He is certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to mediate court-referred cases. Mr. Meditz has specialized training in Group Consensus Building, Complex and Multiparty Civil Cases, Employment Mediation and Conflict Resolution Skills. He has more than 30 years of federal government experience in national security analytic and senior management assignments. Mr. Meditz's professional associations include membership on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Mediation Network and, as an Associate, in the American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section. He is a mentor for mediators-in-training and a former coordinator for the Monday Night Forum, a mediator professional development program sponsored by Northern Virginia Mediation Service. Mr. Meditz holds an MA degree in International Relations, Boston University; a BA in Chemistry, UNC-Chapel Hill; and is a graduate of the National Defense University, National War College (Washington, DC) and the Federal Executive Institute (Charlottesville, VA). He holds current security clearances and is certified in the use of the Conflict Dynamics Profile, Eckerd College, Leadership Development Institute.

Catherine Garcia Patterson, J.D., is a mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Ms. Patterson specializes in mediating family, elder, and workplace matters. She was formerly an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board where she developed expertise in settling employment disputes. Ms. Patterson is also trained in group facilitation and managing cross-cultural issues. She is a member of the Virginia Mediation Network, the Virginia State Bar, and the District of Columbia Bar. She is affiliated with Northern Virginia Mediation Service and Alexandria Community Mediation Service. She is a past-chairperson of the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women. Ms. Patterson received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

James Q.  Pope, J.D., M.S.W. , is a mediator, facilitator, trainer and consultant.  He is experienced in contract, workplace, divorce, discrimination and special education disputes.  Jim is a member of the Virginia State Bar and a founder of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Fairfax County Bar Association. He is an adjunct professor of mediation and arbitration at the Catholic University Columbus School of Law and the George Mason University School of Law.  Jim’s mediation experience includes work with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the World Bank, the United States Navy, and NASA.  He has developed and conducted conflict management training for numerous public and private agencies.  Jim is certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to mediate court-referred cases. He is past-president of Northern Virginia Mediation Service and the Virginia Mediation Network and a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution.  Jim is a graduate of the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work , and George Washington University Law School .

Marcia K. Thompson, J.D., is a mediator, trainer, facilitator, and alternative dispute resolution consultant. Her experience includes employment, workplace, juvenile/family and police-related matters.  Marcia is certified to mediate Virginia court-referred cases and is a member of the Virginia State Bar. She has conducted both public and private sector training with an emphasis on workplace and employment topics.  Marcia is experienced in Title VII dispute resolution, as a result of her prior service as an equal employment opportunity counselor with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Marcia is a Certified Ethics instructor for the Community Oriented Policing program in the Department of Justice, and a frequent guest lecturer at metropolitan-area universities on the topics of ethics and professionalism. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and the George Mason University School of Law.  Her affiliations include the American Arbitration Association, the Association of Conflict Resolution, the Virginia Mediation Network, and the Fairfax Bar Association ADR Section.