Richard Cohen, Founder and Director

Since founding School Mediation Associates in 1984, Richard has worked with hundreds of schools and has had the pleasure of training over 10,000 young people and educators to be school leaders. He conducts trainings on a wide range of subjects including mediation, conflict resolution, managing difficult conversations, student mentorship, restorative practices, leadership, negotiation, and bullying prevention. He has also mediated countless school-based disputes. Richard has written two books, Students Resolving Conflict: Peer Mediation in Schools (GoodYear, 1995), and The School Mediator's Field Guide: Prejudice, Sexual Harassment, Large Groups, and other Daily Challenges (School Mediation Associates, 1999). He also publishes a free e-newsletter, "The School Mediator," with subscribers in more than 70 countries. Richard has served as a Senior Adjunct Professor at the University of Massachusetts and at Cambridge College. He is a recipient of The Association for Conflict Resolution's William Kreidler Award for "distinguished service to the field of conflict resolution." He lives with his wife and two children in Massachusetts. Richard likes music, swimming, and cherries.

Stacy Davison, Mediator and Senior Trainer

Stacy has conducted training programs for SMA for over a decade. She was Assistant Project Director for the Anti-Defamation League New England's "A World of Difference" Institute, where she oversaw anti-bias programs for educators and students. As vice chair of the Arlington Human Rights Commission, Stacy mediates discrimination disputes and organizes community dialogues. She earned a Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She enjoys biking and relaxing on the beach with her husband and two young children.

Linda Katz, Mediator and Senior Trainer

Linda has conducted peer mediation trainings in dozens of middle and high schools since joining SMA in 2000. She also serves as a mediator in small claims court and community programs. An active member of her town's youth commission, Linda is founder of the Hopkinton, Massachusetts "Day of Giving Back," a community service project involving 600 volunteers each Martin Luther King Day. Linda and her husband have three children and she enjoys biking, participating in two book clubs, and walking in the woods with her dog Abbie.

Yvette Thomas, Mediator and Senior Trainer

Yvette, a workshop facilitator, trainer, and mediator, has worked for SMA since the mid 1990's. After receiving her BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Family and Community Services, she worked for the Big Brother Association of Greater Boston. Yvette was also the Program Director for the COMPASS for homeless families program where she conducted parenting skills workshops. For many years Yvette has coordinated the peer mediation program at Lowell High School, a school with a diverse student body of over 4,000 students.