PDRC's Accomplishments & Milestones

1990: Opened office in Warrenton as satellite of Rappahannock Mediation Center with space donated by Robert G. ‘Bob’ Sowder.

1991-93: Trained citizens as mediators for parent-teen, landlord-tenant, consumer-merchant, and contract disputes. Received charter, non-profit status and officially became Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center.

1994: Received first of three years of ‘seed money’ from the Virginia Law Foundation.

1995: Provided training and consultation for Fauquier County Public Schools’ county-wide peer mediation program. Played an integral role in Culpeper County’s Welfare Reform Program by designing and conducting a job readiness training for welfare clients entitled Managing Conflict in the Workplace.

1996: Expanded office space from one to three rooms and volunteer mediator corps to meet growing needs. Expanded its job readiness Welfare Reform training to Orange County. Conducted a class approved by the Virginia Supreme Court and the Virginia State Bar on negotiation skills for lawyers and mediators.

1997: Conducted Conflict/Anger Management Classes for the Fauquier Alternative School and the Culpeper Options Program. Hosted a County-Wide Peer Mediation Forum attended by 350 student mediators, program coordinators, and school administrators. Sponsored the first annual Peace-ing It Together essay/art contest for student mediators in Fauquier Schools. Trained student mediators in Rappahannock County. Expanded Job Readiness Class for Madison County. Received a Virginia Law Foundation grant for In-Court Mediation Programs in Fauquier and Culpeper General District Courts.

1998: Developed an employee mediation program for Fauquier County government employees. Doubled the number of mediation cases from the previous year. Recruited and trained new mediators and restorative justice facilitators for its expanding programs.

1999: Received a grant which was extended for three years to develop a Neutral Case Evaluation Program for Fauquier County Circuit Court. Conducted specialized training on cultural awareness for the Community Leadership Training Program sponsored by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. Forged new partnerships in community policing/community mediation with the Fauquier Sheriff’s Office and the Warrenton Town Police.

2000: Received federal grant for restorative justice program for juvenile offenders. Executive Director appointed to Supreme Court of Virginia’s commission that developed standards for the Unauthorized Practice of Law in Mediation.  A Center volunteer mediator was elected president of the statewide Virginia Mediation Network.

2001: Partnered with the University of Virginia’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation to facilitate public regional vision meetings. Executive Director received an award from the Supreme Court of Virginia for Outstanding Achievement in Community Mediation. She was also appointed to the prestigious Virginia Supreme Court’s Dispute Resolution Advisory Council.

2002: Adopted a dynamic strategic planning vision. Executive Director represented Virginia as a facilitator for 9/11 victims in New York City’s Listening to the City Project.

2003: Initiated its Community Solutions Program for public issues and disputes. Restorative Justice Services Director and Executive Director named to Board of newly formed Restorative Justice Association of Virginia. Received a CADRE grant to develop and implement a youth dialogue project.

2004:  Became an associate partner with the University of Virginia’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation’s newly established Virginia Solutions program.   

2005:  Received an Edward R. Byrne Memorial grant administered through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to expand its Restorative Justice (RJ) Services program to adult offenders and victims of adult crimes.  Initiated a series of RJ dialogues to better serve various communities: Latino, African-American, business, faith, schools, medical & mental health.

2006:  Moved into larger offices on Main Street in Warrenton.  Received continued funding of the Byrne grant, and contributions from The Jesse & Rose Loeb Foundation, O’Shaughnessy-Hurst Memorial Foundation, Inc., and Synago Corp.  Restorative Justice expanded to Culpeper and Orange Counties.

• Received continuation of a grant ($60,120) from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to fully develop an adult restorative justice (RJ) program for Fauquier County. From July 2006 - June 2007, the program doubled its caseload as well as continuing its service to juvenile offenders.

• Students at Fauquier and Liberty high schools in Fauquier County were trained in peer mediation.

• Relocated to a building in Old Town Warrenton owned by Joyce and Bill Fendley. The new space has more offices to better serve the public.

• Eight mediators trained by the State Corporation Commission for its underground utility mediation program.

• DCJS granted a third year of funding for the adult RJ program.

• A grant from the Virginia Law Foundation provides mediation program enhancement. PDRC will collaborate with the Fauquier Bar Association to host a workshop for attorneys and mediators on sharpening their negotiation skills.

• RJ Services Director Liliana Anaya received an international diploma in restorative justice at Kingston University in Toronto, Canada.

• Fauquier General District Court Judge Charles B. Foley and PDRC’s executive director conducted an RJ presentation at the mandatory general district court judges conference in August.

 2007: Staff active in Virginia Supreme Court Mentoring, Judicial and Ethics projects.  Continued  funding/growth for adult Restorative Justice.  Synargo sponsored peer mediation at Fauquier & Liberty High Schools.  Virginia Law Foundation funded mediation program expansion. 

2008: Executive Director appointed to Virginia Supreme Court committee to revise mediator ethics. Co-authored RJ legislation. Working It Out Column in Fauquier weekly newspaper. Provided services to Prince William Office of Dispute Resolution (PWC ODR). Continued federal funding for RJ. Trained in Military Mediation for returning Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans. Spearheaded statewide bi-lingual mediation DVD. Funding from O’Shaughnessy-Hurst Memorial Foundation, Inc., Emmanuel Episcopal Church, anonymous donors. 

2009: Received PWC ODR service contract.  Expanded services to Stafford JDR Court.  Loeb Foundation technology grant.  Trained youth mediators at Liberty High & girl scouts in Manassas.  Retirement of longtime mediation services director Maria Hyson who was recognized by the Fauquier Bar Association.  Trained more mediators and RJ facilitators.  Internal staff reorganization to reflect service expansion and economic issues.

 

 

 

 

 

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