JAMS Foundation Welcomes 2026 Class of Weinstein JAMS International Fellows

IRVINE, Calif. – The JAMS Foundation is pleased to announce the 9 Fellows who have been selected for the 2026 Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship Program. Each year, the Foundation approves fellowships up to $20,000 in support of projects developed by fellowship applicants. Fellows join this program from across the globe, particularly in countries that do not have an established culture of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This year, Fellows are representing Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Malaysia/United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, and Uganda.

“The 2026 Weinstein JAMS International Fellows reflect the extraordinary breadth of leadership and innovation taking place throughout the global dispute resolution community," said Ellen Bass, director of the Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship Program. "Their work spans judicial systems, international arbitration, mediation policy, restorative justice and emerging technologies. We look forward to supporting their efforts and learning from their experience."

Founded in 2008, the Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship Program is named to honor the contributions of JAMS neutral Hon. Daniel Weinstein (Ret.). With support from the JAMS Foundation in collaboration with Judge Weinstein, the program has provided opportunities for qualified individuals outside of the United States to study ADR processes and practices in the U.S., assisting them in their ability to advance dispute resolution in their home countries. Since its inception, the program has trained over 150 Fellows from more than 90 countries.

“Each Fellow brings a unique perspective and a commitment to advancing dispute resolution,” said David Brandon, managing director of the JAMS Foundation and JAMS Institute. “We are honored to support their work and the contributions they will make in their countries and communities.”

These are the 2026 Weinstein JAMS International Fellows:

Farid Bin Hussain (Malaysia/UAE) is a senior legal professional with the Legal Affairs Department of the Government of Dubai, where he has led and participated in thousands of negotiations and dispute settlements for the Dubai Government and its entities for more than 15 years. Previously a partner at an international law firm, he led cross-border commercial negotiations and dispute settlements across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions. He is a founding member of the Dubai International Mediation Centre (Dubai Mediation) and an International Mediation Institute-accredited mediator. He also volunteers with the Madani Mediation Centre, supporting its efforts to develop a sustainable, community-based mediation ecosystem in Malaysia.

During his fellowship, he seeks to deepen his knowledge of organizational mediation, dispute system design and cross-cultural conflict resolution, with a particular interest in organizational ombuds functions, integrated conflict management systems, mediator competency and professional standards. He intends to apply these insights to advance the development of Dubai Mediation and support Malaysia’s Madani Mediation Centre Initiative by adapting international best practices to build more effective, trusted and culturally responsive dispute resolution systems.   

Naranbulag Khukhuu (Mongolia) is a lawyer and managing director with Alba Leges law firm in Ulaanbaatar, where she handles cross-border transactions and conducts international arbitrations. She serves as an arbitrator on the panels of the Mongolian International Arbitration Center, Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. She additionally serves as chair of the International Law Committee and a member of the Governing Board of the Mongolian Bar Association. She teaches at the National University of Mongolia School of Law and the University of Finance and Economics. A Fulbright and Chevening scholar, she holds LL.M.’s from the University of Illinois Chicago and Queen Mary University of London.

While pursuing her fellowship, she aims to study ADR best practices, with a focus on international and cross-border, energy and mining, technology and community disputes. Upon her return, she hopes to enhance access to justice by reducing burdens on the courts and promoting an investor-friendly ecosystem in Mongolia, fostering the rule of law and economic prosperity in the country.

Elena Koltsaki (Greece) is a lawyer and practicing mediator who serves as head of the international development and mediation panel of ADR point, the largest private mediation center in Greece and one of the largest in Europe, resolving national and cross-border disputes through mediation and negotiation. An accredited mediator, she has served as an expert and leader in pioneering and establishing mediation practice in Greece for more than 15 years, building dispute resolution institutions and contributing to national policy as well as major international initiatives. She holds a Ph.D. in civil and commercial law and an LL.M. in commercial and economic law from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is an affiliate professor of negotiation and mediation management at ALBA Graduate Business School at the American College of Greece. She further serves as a senior international mediation expert at ADR Center Global, a mediation trainer for the Athens Mediation Training Institute and a panelist mediator at the Hellenic Organization for Mediation and Arbitration.

As part of her fellowship, she intends to gain advanced knowledge and experience in mediation methodologies, institutional development and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into dispute resolution.

Juan Antonio Mazariegos Puertas (Guatemala) is a lawyer and director of Arbitration Center IBT, an institution he founded during his final year of law school that has become, under his leadership, a leading platform for institutional growth and procedural modernization with the highest case volume in the Northern Triangle of Central America. As director, he oversees the administration of a broad range of commercial disputes and has led the development of innovative regulatory frameworks designed to expand access to arbitration across the region. He has also participated as a mediator in various proceedings and contributed to regional discourse on arbitration reform, efficiency and procedural access. He holds an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center and a postgraduate degree in blockchain and smart contracts from the University of Salamanca.

During his fellowship, he intends to continue his efforts to strengthen and modernize Guatemala’s dispute resolution infrastructure by creating a legal environment where arbitral awards can be enforced quickly and predictably, positioning the country to compete in regional and global economies increasingly dependent on reliable enforcement mechanisms.

Albert Mukasa (Uganda) serves as managing partner and head of the disputes team at M&K Advocates in Kampala, where he leads the firm’s commercial arbitration and litigation practice. He is co-founder and executive director of the African Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, a nonprofit organization that promotes ADR through advocacy, research and training throughout Uganda and across Africa. In this role, he has led capacity-building initiatives for organizations including the Engineering Registration Board, Uganda National Roads Authority and Uganda Law Society. A Chevening Scholar, he is completing a Master of Science in construction law and dispute resolution at King’s College London and holds a postgraduate diploma in international construction contracts from Paris-Panthéon-Assas University (Paris 2).

During his fellowship, he plans to deepen his understanding of arbitration, mediation, dispute boards and project neutral practices while further developing his work in construction dispute resolution to address infrastructure-related disputes, reduce case backlogs and strengthen investor confidence in Uganda’s economic growth and stability.

Frauke Nitschke (Germany) is a lawyer, senior counsel and team lead at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), where she has extensive experience in investor-state dispute settlement operations and mediation policy development. She was responsible for the development of ICSID’s 2022 Mediation Rules, which have been adopted by 157 member states. She has led capacity-building workshops on dispute settlement for government officials and mediators, and supported the UNCITRAL Secretariat in drafting its Investment Mediation Guidelines and Model Provisions. She is an accredited mediator, admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia, and earned an LL.M., with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center.

As part of her fellowship, she plans to continue advancing investment mediation by developing a global network of mediators experienced in investment disputes and creating strategies to promote the use of mediation worldwide.

Andrea Galhardo Palma (Brazil) has more than 20 years of judicial experience and currently serves as presiding judge of the 2nd São Paulo Regional Corporate and Arbitration Conflict Court, with jurisdiction over 176 industrial cities. She is one of only six judges specializing in contractual corporate disputes, bankruptcy and recovery matters, and conflicts arising from arbitration proceedings. She serves on the faculty of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the São Paulo School of Judges, where her research focuses on insolvency mediation and judicial management to enhance efficiency and strengthen ADR capabilities within the public sector. She holds an LL.M. in international commercial arbitration from Penn State Dickinson Law and a Ph.D. in business law from the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

During her fellowship, she will study early dispute resolution protocols and explore innovative approaches that may be adapted to disputes within São Paulo state’s public judicial system.

Santiago Ramirez Jaramillo (Colombia) serves on Colombia’s transitional justice tribunal, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, where he promotes ADR-informed practices in restorative proceedings involving victims and former combatants who have acknowledged responsibility for conflict-related conduct. His work focuses on strengthening dialogue among victims, communities and former combatants while developing approaches that support acknowledgment, reparation and trust-building. He is a lecturer in international humanitarian law in the master’s program in law at EAFIT University and serves as faculty adviser to a business and human rights legal clinic project at the University of La Sabana in partnership with the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce. He holds an LL.M. in international law from the University of La Sabana and a specialization in criminal procedural law from Universidad Externado de Colombia.

During his fellowship, he hopes to gain practical experience in mediation and ADR approaches that can be adapted to Colombia’s post-conflict environment.

Kalina Stancheva (Bulgaria) is a judge of the Sofia District Court, where she presides over a wide range of legal matters, including civil and family law disputes. She serves as president of the Bulgarian chapter of the International Association of Women Judges and is a member of the European Association of Judges for Mediation, reflecting her commitment to justice, equality and ADR. She has completed specialized mediation and conflict resolution training and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal procedure law at the Institute for the State and the Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on contemporary issues in criminal procedure and the intersection of law, rights and social impact.

During her fellowship, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how ADR can be ethically and effectively applied within criminal justice systems, particularly through restorative justice, victim-offender mediation and other noncoercive approaches that promote accountability, dignity and healing.

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 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 currently comprises 300 principal benefactors and has provided more than $15 million in grant funding since its inception.

About JAMS – The Way Forward

JAMS is the premier provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, with more than 500 neutrals across 29 locations. In 2025, JAMS received nearly 22,000 new case filings and handled more than 28,000 matters during the year. Founded in 1979, the organization’s distinguished panel includes retired federal and state court judges, former litigators, transactional attorneys and other ADR professionals with deep industry and practice area experience.

JAMS offers customized in-person, virtual and hybrid resolution services to provide a seamless experience through concierge-level client care, highly skilled case managers and advanced technology.

Building on this foundation, JAMS Pathways provides organizations with early conflict resolution, facilitation and training, helping teams prevent disputes before they escalate.

With a legacy of trust and innovation, JAMS helps parties find the way forward so they can focus on what matters most. Learn more at www.jamsadr.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and the JAMS ADR blog.