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Conflict Resolution Program
 
photo of Kathy Wian   IPA homepages graphic
 

Kathleen M. Wian

POLICY SCIENTIST
(Coordinator, Conflict Resolution Program)

kwian@udel.edu e-mail
302-831-2927 phone/voice-mail
302-831-0450 fax

177 Graham Hall | University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware 19716-7380

expertise | education | honors | memberships | experience | courses taught
publications | selected presentations

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EXPERTISE
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Kathy Wian is the Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution Program (CRP) and holds a secondary faculty appointment in the School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy. She has worked at the University of Delaware since 1994. Ms. Wian is responsible for the administrative, financial and strategic leadership of CRP. She is also responsible for providing expert consultation in organizational change efforts and presenting programs related to alternative dispute resolution throughout Delaware. In addition, she collaborates with CHEP faculty and staff members on various projects in the areas of education, health care, school leadership, and state and local government.

Through her work with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), Ms. Wian helped create Delaware's Special Education Mediation Program. This program, known as SPARC (Special Education Partnership for the Amicable Resolution of Conflict), provides special education mediation and meeting facilitation services to all public schools and parents in the state. She has also created special education programs to specifically meet the needs of school personnel, parents, advocates and mentors in the areas of conflict resolution, leading effective meetings and mediation.

Through CRP, Ms. Wian has conducted over 800 hours of training for state and local governments, nonprofit groups, disability-related organizations, and state agencies on various alternative dispute resolution topics. Ms. Wian has also done training programs and organization development in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Idaho, Maryland, Arizona, Vermont, and Hawaii. She currently teaches a one-credit Introduction to Basic Conflict Resolution Skills course in the School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy. She is a certified mediator and has mediated disputes in many arenas including education, special education, environment, campus, community, courts, custody, and government. In 2001 Ms. Wian received the Henry R. Folsom Award Award in recognition of her outstanding paper, “Moving from Resistance to Change: An Analysis of Delaware's Special Education Mediation System.”
 

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EDUCATION
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MPA, University of Delaware 2000, Human Resource Management

BS, Goldey Beacom College (Wilmington, Del.) 1983, Business Administration: Management and Marketing
 
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HONORS
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Pi Alpha Alpha, National Honor Society, 2002

Henry R. Folsom Award, for outstanding analytical paper, 2001
 
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PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC MEMBERSHIPS
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Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), 2001–present

Delaware Association for Public Administrators (DAPA), council member 2003

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), 2002–present

Delaware Department of Education's Self-Assessment Co-Steering Committee, 2000

Conflict Resolution Education Network (CREnet), 1999–present

The National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM), member, 1999–present

The American Society for Public Administrators (ASPA), member, 1998–present

Delaware Association of Public Administrators (DAPA), member, 1998–present

Delaware Federation for Dispute Resolution, Advisory Committee, 1995–2004
 
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EXPERIENCE
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2004 - present

 

Associate Policy Scientist, Conflict Resolution Program, Institute for Public Administration, CHEP, University of Delaware
 
2000 - 2004

 

Assistant Policy Scientist, Conflict Resolution Program, Institute for Public Administration, CHEP, University of Delaware
 
1994 - 2000

 

Staff Associate, Conflict Resolution Program, Institute for Public Administration, CHEP, University of Delaware
 
1987 - 1992

 

Environmental Consultant, Winsor Associates (Ardmore, Pa.)
 
1990 - 1992

 

Mediator, Community Dispute Settlement Program of Delaware County (Media, Pa.)
 

 
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COURSES TAUGHT
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UAPP667--Collaborative Leadership

UAPP667--Conflict Resolution

EDUC667--Discipline and Classroom Management
 
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PUBLICATIONS
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“Appropriate Dispute Resolution Methods Used by Public Authorities in the USA,” Siberian Academy for Public Administration, Intermediation in Labor Relations Resolution Conference, Novosibirsk, Russia, November 2003.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Directory for the State of Delaware, 2001-2002, a first-of-its-kind in Delaware, this directory was prepared in collaboration with Frances Haug, CRP staff associate, the Delaware Federation for Dispute Resolution and the Delaware Bar Association.

”Independent Living Services Strategic Plan for the State of Delaware,” Department of Health and Social Services, Division for the Visually Impaired, co-authors Kathryn Denhardt, Ph.D., and Frances Haug, September 2001.

“The Fragile Consensus: Exploring the Ethical Obligations of Society and Advocates to Persons with Disabilities,” written in collaboration with Kathryn G. Denhardt and Michael Gamel-McCormick, July 2001.

Hawaii Department of Education Report, an in depth look at how the state of Hawaii might adapt collaborative educational models used in Delaware, co-author Martha Toomey, February 2000.

“Moving from Resistance to Change,” an analysis of Delaware's sepecial education mediation system, May 2000.

SPARC End of the Year Report for July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999, July 1999.

SPARC Mediation Evaluation, written in collaboration with Amanda DeWitt, May 1999.

Meeting Assessment Tool (MAT), assessment tool developed for the Leading Collaborative Meetings workshop, 1997.

SPARC End of the Year Report for 1997, written in collaboration with Marina Piscolish and Patricia Porter, July 1997.

“Establishing ‘Buy-In’ for Conflict Resolution in Schools: the Art of Pre-Training Design,” co-author Marina Piscolish, July 1996.

Guide to Conflict and Dispute Resolution Programs in Delaware, written in collaboration with The Delaware Center for Justice, Inc. May, 1996.
 
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SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
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“Collaborative Governance and Civic Engagement from a University Center’s Perspective,” Policy Consensus Initiative (PCI) Workshop for University Centers, Jupiter, Fla., May 2007.

“Collaborative Governance and Civic Engagement from a University Center’s Perspective,” Southern Consortium of University Public Service Organizations 2007 Annual Conference, Baltimore, Md., April 2007.

“Special Education Mediation – The Delaware Model,” Inter-American Summit on Conflict Resolution in Education at Cuyahoga College, Cleveland, Ohio, March 2007.

“Conflict Resolution and the Importance of Collaboration,” Delaware Women’s Leadership Group, February 2007

“Defining and Marketing IEP/IFSP Meeting Facilitation Services/Programs,” Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) Fourth National Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Special Education, Washington, D.C., December, 2006.

“Expanding the Conflict Resolution Continuum:  The Design and Delivery of an Effective IEP Meeting Facilitation System,” National Symposium on IEP Facilitation for CADRE (Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education, Eugene, Ore., October 2005.

“Facilitating Effective IEP Meetings,” CADRE (Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education), Washington, D.C., December 2004.

“Resolving Conflict in Special Education: IEP Facilitation Skills,” Vermont Council for Exceptional Children and the Vermont Department of Education, Burlington, Vt., May 17, 2004.

“Facilitating an Effective IEP Meeting,” Phoenix, Ariz., March 2004.

“Appropriate Dispute Resolution Methods Used by Public Authorities in the USA,” Funded by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) for the Siberian Academy for Public Administration, Novosibirsk, Russia, November 10–15, 2003.

“Conflict Resolution Skills for Leaders, Pennsylvania Partners in Policymaking,” Harrisburg, Pa., March 2001.

“Special Education Mediation Systems–The Delaware Model,” Society of Professional in Dispute Resolution, Albuquerque, N.M., Sept. 2000.

“Delaware's SPARC Project and Community-School Partnerships,” Consultant, State of Hawaii Department of Education, Oahu, Hawaii, Jan. 2000.

“Organizational Change and Conflict Resolution Skills,” Chinese Businessmen’s Organization, Newark, Del., Oct. 1999.

“Performance Evaluation for Municipal Clerks,” University of Delaware Certificate Program for Municipal Clerks, Dover, Del., Oct. 1999.

“Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation in Special Education,” Plenary Panelist, ADR Public Policy Forum, University of Delaware, Newark, Del., March 1999.

“Conflict Resolution in the Workplace,” University of Delaware Department of Public Safety, Newark, Del., Jan. 1999.

“Conflict Resolution and Mediation in Special Education,” Delaware Partners in Policymaking Adults with Disabilities, Dover, Del., Sept. 1998.

“Establishing ‘Buy-in’ for Conflict Resolution in Schools: The Art of Pre-Training Design,” National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution (NCPCR), Pittsburgh, Pa., May 1997.

“Classroom Management and Peer Relations,” Delaware Association for Education of Young Children, Delaware Technical and Community College, Dover, Del., Aug. 1996.

“Building School District Capacity for Integrating Conflict Resolution into the Schools’ Culture and Curriculum,” NAME/NIDR National Conference, Baltimore, Md., July 1996.
 

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