| ADReport |
Alternative
Dispute Resolution Section Newsletter |
| Volume Two, Number
Two |
Honorable
Melanie A. Vaughn, Chair
Mary Louise Preis, Editor
Jonathan S. Rosenthal, Co-Editor |
MACRO Welcomes New Staff
By Rachel Wohl and Lou Gieszl
We are very pleased to announce the appointment
of two new MACRO staff members who will greatly enhance our work in the areas of
court ADR and ADR program evaluation. Their diverse backgrounds, experience and
perspectives make them terrific additions to our office. We hope that you will
have the opportunity to meet them and work with them in the near future.
Leonard Howie started on February 20th as MACRO’s
ADR Programs Evaluation Director. In this position, Leonard will be working
collaboratively with all MACRO-funded projects to help them strengthen their ADR
evaluation components. Following up on MACRO’s 2001 Evaluation Summit, Leonard
will work with Maryland’s ADR program staff and practitioners to help develop
a better understanding of ADR programs, to identify potential program
improvement opportunities, and to document the benefits of using ADR in
different settings across the state. He will also assist two statewide
collaborative projects that are working to design practical ADR program
evaluation systems for Maryland’s courts and community mediation centers. In
addition, he will serve as MACRO’s liaison to a Policy Consensus
Initiative-funded national project to create an evaluation system for public
policy mediation, also known as "consensus building." We believe that
Leonard’s work will make a great contribution to our understanding of the
field of ADR and will support the continued growth and advancement of ADR in
Maryland.
Leonard’s professional experiences over the
past 18 years have included conducting a wide variety of program evaluations
across the country and across the world; consulting on business ethics and
strategic planning; advocating for special education issues; and developing
character education and financial literacy curricula for youth. Leonard has
served as adjunct faculty at the University of the District of Columbia, where
he taught "Ethics and Public Policy" and "Nonprofit Leadership
& Strategic Planning." He was an associate in a District of Columbia
law practice where he specialized in federal banking and regulatory matters, and
was an Infantry Officer (Captain) in the U.S. Marine Corps. Leonard holds a
Juris Doctor and a Masters in Business Administration from Georgetown
University, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Cincinnati,
and is a member of the Maryland State Bar.
Jonathan Rosenthal started on March 6th as MACRO’s
new Court ADR Programs Director. In this position, he will work collaboratively
with judges, court personnel and other stakeholders to help strengthen, expand
and create new ADR services in jurisdictions across the state. Jonathan’s work
will help MACRO prioritize court-based ADR projects and grants. He will function
in part as a "circuit rider," providing assistance to the circuit
courts’ work to advance the appropriate use of ADR consistent with local
needs. Jonathan will also work with Leonard on the statewide collaborative
effort to design a practical ADR program evaluation system for Maryland’s
courts. Serving as MACRO’s resident court ADR expert, he will keep us abreast
of national developments and work closely with the District Court’s ADR
Director and Regional ADR Coordinators.
Jonathan has been practicing law in Maryland
since 1991 and opened his own office in 1994, concentrating on family law and
bankruptcy matters. In 1997, Jonathan attended the Harvard Law School Program of
Instruction for Lawyers’ Mediation Seminar. Upon completing that course, he
opened the Mediation Center of Maryland, adding mediation to his practice.
Jonathan is a member of the panel of mediators for the Circuit Courts for
Baltimore City and Howard County. In Baltimore City, he chaired the Oversight
Committee for the Domestic Case Volunteer Settlement Program for the Circuit
Court from 1998 to 2000. In addition, Jonathan has been a volunteer
mediator/facilitator for both domestic and non-domestic civil cases, and has
volunteered in the District Court’s "day-of-trial" mediation
programs in Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties. Jonathan assists MICPEL’s
40-hour basic mediation course, as well as its 20-hour custody and visitation
mediation, and 20-hour marital property mediation courses. He has worked with
MACRO as a member of the Mediator Quality Assurance Oversight Committee and is
active in a variety of ADR organizations. Jonathan is on the Executive
Committees of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Maryland Chapter, and the
Maryland Council on Dispute Resolution, in addition to serving on the Section
Council of the ADR Section of the MSBA. Jonathan is also active in the Family
Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Bar Association of
Baltimore City, the Anne Arundel County Bar Association, and the American Bar
Association.
