BERNIE MAYER, PhD, Professor, Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, Creighton University,  is an internationally-recognized leader in the field of conflict resolution. Bernie has facilitated many complex and controversial environmental conflicts, commercial and organizational disputes, interpersonal conflicts, public decision-making processes, and has an extensive background in family mediation as well. Bernie was a founding partner of CDR Associates in Boulder, Colorado, an internationally recognized conflict intervention and training firm.

He has provided consultation, mediation, facilitation and training for many federal, state and local agencies including the U.S. EPA, the Departments of the Interior, Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, Education, Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security, as well as for numerous governmental departments and agencies in Canada. Bernie also has extensive international experience in setting up dispute resolution programs and working on complex issues such as ethnic relations, conflicts between governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations, and community and family disputes.

Bernie is the author of many books and articles including The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2000),  Beyond Neutrality: Confronting the Crisis in Conflict Resolution ( Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2004), and Staying With Conflict: A Strategic Approach to Ongoing Disputes  (Jossey-Bass/,Wiley, 2009)