Maria Simpson, Ph.D. received the SCMA President’s Award from Jason Harper, President of the Southern California Mediation Association, at the SCMA’s conference dinner Friday, October 20 for her leadership of the Foundation.
SCMA President’s Award
Maria has been the Board Chair since 2013. She has focused on increasing efforts to support Peer Mediation Programs in the middle and high schools, and expanded fundraising so that more students and programs could be supported. In addition, she has established several new initiatives (see below) that will be implemented in 2018 and began collaborative efforts with organizations to provide additional services to schools, such as new programming, new training materials and services, and expanded financial support. In accepting the award, Maria thanked Foundation supporters “who are committed to mediation, as the kids say, as a ‘way of being, not just process.’” She also said, “the last five years have been exhilarating, exciting, rewarding, frustrating, and frankly exhausting. And I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Thank you for the opportunity.”
