Irvine, Calif. – The JAMS Foundation is pleased to congratulate the two recipients of this year’s David Brandon Community Mediation Movement Catalyst Award, Renata Valree and Prabha Sankaranarayan. These awards were presented by the National Association for Community Mediation at the NAFCM Assembly on October 3.
Named after and presented by the JAMS Foundation Managing Director David Brandon, these awards honor two individuals who serve as catalysts to strengthen and sustain the impact of community mediation locally and nationally. An endowment has also been created to provide an award of $1,000 to each year’s recipients.
The local award recognizes an individual that works each day to strengthen the potential for positive impact with local conflicts that currently are exacerbating peace, justice and community connections. The national award recognizes an individual that works each day on a national stage to advance the work and amplify the voice of community mediation.
Ms. Valree and Ms. Sankaranarayan both embody the spirit of NAFCM and the power that exists in applying the skills of community mediation at the local and national level. Both individuals are dedicated to sharing, teaching and empowering others to use mediation to seek peace and strengthen relationships within our communities. I am incredibly honored to present the awards to these two outstanding individuals and thank them for all their hard work and commitment to the community mediation field.
- David Brandon, JAMS Foundation Managing Director
This year, the local award was presented to Renata Valree, who is an accomplished public administrator, professional mediator/facilitator, trainer, program designer and evaluator. Presently, Ms. Valree is an Adjunct Professor in the Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding Department at California State University Dominguez Hills where she teaches mediation, restorative practices and peacebuilding and mediation clinic. Renata has over 25 years of practice in community mediation.
The national award was presented to Prabha Sankaranarayan, who is the President and CEO of Mediators Beyond Borders International, an international impact organization whose mission is to build local skills for peace and promote mediation worldwide. Ms. Sankaranarayan designs conflict transformation and capacity building programs around the world, serves as a consultant for companies, policy makers, governments, universities and groups engaged in civil resistance and serves as an advisor on the role of women in peace and security.
NAFCM supports peacemakers by being the hub for advancing the work of community mediation. NAFCM seeks to help these peacemakers to create safe spaces for the transformation of conflict to opportunities for engagement, resolution and partnership through the work and will of the participants and those impacted.
More information about the National Association for Community Mediation is available on their website here.
About the JAMS Foundation
The nonprofit JAMS Foundation was established in 2002 by JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. The mission of the JAMS Foundation is to provide financial assistance for conflict resolution initiatives with national and international impact and to share its dispute resolution expertise for the benefit of the public interest.
The Foundation is funded entirely by contributions from JAMS neutrals, executives and associates, and by a substantial annual donation from JAMS. To uphold the company’s core value of neutrality, the Foundation accepts no donations outside of JAMS. The Foundation is currently comprised of 300 principal benefactors and has provided more than $12 million in grant funding since its inception.
