San Francisco – The JAMS Foundation’s second annual Warren Knight Award will be presented to Sacramento State’s Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution (CAPCR) along with a $25,000 grant. CAPCR will be recognized for its efforts to provide conflict resolution and reconciliation services for agencies, governments, organizations, businesses, communities and other groups through education, research and intervention. The award will be presented to Ernest Uwazie, director of CAPCR and professor at California State University, Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 6 during a luncheon at the 2010 American Bar Association National Meeting.
Created in 1996, CAPCR aims to develop and provide training on mediation, negotiation, arbitration and other conflict resolution services throughout America and Africa. Over the years, the organization has worked with various entities in the U.S. and Africa, including the U.S. State Department, Department of Education, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Lagos, the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, the Ghana Bar Association and Ministry of Justice and the University of Dakar in Senegal.
“To see the work CAPCR has been doing to increase access to ADR services in areas like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda and all throughout Africa is remarkable,” said Judge H. Warren Knight (Ret.). “In areas so fraught with war and conflict, it’s obvious how essential this type of work and continued training is. We are honored to give Ernest and his center this award and grant to help continue their important work.”
“I am grateful for the recognition and the grant that JAMS has provided to the CAPCR,” said Uwazie. “While we have accomplished a lot in the last 15 years, there is still much more to do and I look forward to partnering with organizations like JAMS to continue building this service throughout Africa.”
“CAPCR has done a tremendous job of providing ADR services and training throughout various African countries, and it’s also incredible to look at the work it has done to establish and maintain peace,” said Chris Poole, JAMS Foundation President and JAMS President and CEO. “JAMS is proud to support CAPCR’s efforts to continue expanding conflict resolution programs in these areas.”
About the JAMS Foundation (www.jamsfoundation.org)
The non-profit JAMS Foundation is the largest private provider of ADR-related grants in the world. The Foundation was established in 2002 by JAMS, The Resolution Experts, the nation’s premier provider of alternative dispute resolution services, and is funded by JAMS mediators, arbitrators and employee associates who contribute a percentage of their income. The JAMS Foundation has provided more than $3 million in grant funding since its inception. Founded in 1979, JAMS and its more than 250 full-time mediators and arbitrators are responsible for resolving thousands of the nation's most important cases. JAMS is online at www.jamsadr.com.
About Judge Knight
Hon. H. Warren Knight (Ret.) is the founder of JAMS, which he created in January 1979. He continues to be active on the Board and involved in the leadership of the company. Judge Knight is considered a pioneer in the ADR and legal communities and was instrumental in introducing and furthering ADR, including mediation and arbitration, within the legal community in California and throughout the United States. His distinguished judicial career included six years of service with the Orange County Superior Court and two years with the Orange County Municipal Court. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was in private practice with Portigal & Knight in Orange County for 12 years. He is now retired and lives with his wife, Carolyn, in Orange County, California.