About Me
When it comes to conflict resolution, I was an early adopter. I began mediating in 1983 and never looked back. Same for non-profit life.
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I value the opportunity my career affords me to make an impactful difference for institutions, individuals and the people they serve.
In 2024, I was honored with the D’Alemberte-Raven Award from the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution for leadership and significant contributions to the ADR field.
In 2023 I was honored for 40 years of volunteer service to the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago. In 2020, I was awarded ADR Professional of the Year by the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution; in 2016, I was named an ADR Champion by the National Law Journal; and in 2012, I was named an Ambassador by the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts.
Here I am (right) accepting the D'Alemberte-Raven Award from Ana M. Sambold, Chair of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section.
Experience
I have worked in conflict resolution since I began mediating in 1983. I have also worked as executive director of two nonprofit organizations for a total of 30 years. In 2024, I established Susan Yates LLC – leveraging my experience in conflict resolution and nonprofit management. I provide consulting, training, coaching, facilitation, mediation and dispute system design services. I am also part of the JAMS Pathways roster.
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I am on the right at a discussion of the future of alternative dispute resolution with Northwestern Pritzker School of Law professors (from left) Lynn Cohn, Alyson Carrel and Analise Buth.
Volunteer Activities
I have been active on a national level in the dispute resolution field for many years. I served on the Grants Committee of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR) Foundation from 2019 to 2022 and on the Editorial Board for Conflict Resolution Quarterly from 2003 to 2017. I have served in many positions in the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association (ABA), including serving as one of the ABA's two delegates to the six-person Joint Committee to Revise the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators. This was bracketed by multi-year terms on the Section Council. I am currently serving on the Association for Conflict Resolution's Taskforce on Safety in ADR, which promulgated Guidance for Physically Safe Conflict Resolution: A Bias-Resistant Approach in 2025. I have volunteered at the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago since 1983.
​​I am also active in my local community. For example, I currently volunteer with my local animal shelter, Animal Care League, helping with events. I also foster dogs, despite my cat Simon's disdain for the canine species.
That is me on the right, being honored by Cassie Lively, Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution, for 40 years of volunteer service to CCR.
Here I am with one of my foster dogs, Smoochie.