Werner Institute Faculty
Arthur Pearlstein
Professor of Law and Director
Prior to joining Creighton, Arthur was General Counsel and Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution and International Programs at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent federal dispute resolution agency, in Washington, D.C. He earned a B.A. from Haverford College, a Masters in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School where he served as a Fellow, and his law degree from Harvard Law School. Arthur has years of experience as a lawyer, mediator and dispute resolution specialist as well as an extensive background in teaching and training overseas and in the U.S.
Jacqueline Font-Guzmán
Assistant Professor & Associate Director
Jacqueline has a B.A. from Coe College, a Masters in Health Care Administration from Saint Louis University, and her law degree from the Interamericana University. She is a candidate for a Ph.D. in Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. Jackie is an experienced mediator, attorney, and health care administrator who has done substantial work in the field of conflict resolution. She is a certified and highly accomplished mediator in Puerto Rico, and has been very involved in the training of third party neutrals. Jackie co-founded and developed Conflict Resolution Center, Inc., a certified provider of mediation and training services in Puerto Rico. She has actively participated in the field of conflict resolution through national and international conferences and workshops, and has conducted a wide variety of trainings and seminars in the field, particularly in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Bryan Hanson
Assistant Director
Bryan has a B.S. from Minnesota State University - Mankato in Speech Communications, and an M.A. from John F. Kennedy University in Organizational Psychology with a graduate certificate in Conflict Management. Prior to joining the Werner Institute, Bryan was a university administrator in the San Francisco Bay Area where he also devoted substantial time to work as a mediator, facilitator and trainer in conflict resolution.
Bernie Mayer, PhD.
Resident Professor of Conflict Resolution
Bernie is an icon in the world of conflict resolution. With over a quarter century of experience in the field, he was a founding partner at CDR Associates, the internationally recognized mediation and conflict resolution organization, and originally trained as a psychotherapist. He has worked across the globe as a mediator, facilitator, teacher, trainer, dispute systems designer, and program administrator. A true scholar as well as leading practitioner in the field, Dr. Mayer is the author of many works including the book Beyond Neutrality: Confronting the Crisis in Conflict Resolution, and has taught courses for Harvard, University of Missouri, University of Colorado, Antioch University, the Budapest College of Economics, University of Warsaw, and Colorado State University, among others. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Work with an emphasis on conflict resolution.
Mary Lee Brock
Instructor & Chair of Clinical Programs
Mary Lee Brock, Instructor and Chair of Clinical Programs, holds a BA in Psychology from Creighton University and a M.Ed. in Counseling from South Dakota State University. She is recognized by the Nebraska Supreme Court Office of Dispute Resolution as a Lead Trainer of Mediation and Facilitation Skills Curriculum. Mary Lee is also accomplished as a trainer and practitioner in Family Mediation, Special Education Mediation, Victim Offender Mediation, Family Group Conferencing, Specialized Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice.
Mary Lee was the founding Executive Director of the Concord Center, a private non-profit conflict resolution center which offers mediation and facilitation services, as well as conflict management trainings to the Omaha community. In that role, she developed dispute resolution programs based on community needs, best practices and effective use of resources. Mary Lee collaborated with the Nebraska Health and Human Services Department, the judicial system, educational institutions, human services organizations, the Omaha Neighborhood Center, Creighton University's Legal Clinic, Legal Aid and other community groups and organizations. She has been an advocate for conflict resolution systems in the local and state governments and at public forums. Mary Lee has been engaged in assessment, process design and facilitation of numerous public projects, among them Governor Johann's Task Force on Child Death, Omaha Public Schools Links to Success and the National Park Service Corp of Discovery.
Mary Lee is a graduate of Leadership Omaha. She serves on the board of directors of the Non-profit Association of the Midlands. She is also a trustee of St. Johns Parish at Creighton University where she co-chaired the recent church renovation project.
Noam Ebner
Assistant Professor and Online Program Chair
Noam received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in law from Hebrew University. Originally from the U.S, he now divides his time between his home in Jerusalem, Israel and his teaching, training and consulting activities in the U.S. and abroad. After practicing as an attorney, Noam shifted focus and established Tachlit Mediation and Negotiation, which deals with a wide spectrum of issues, including commercial, divorce, business partnerships and employment disputes. In addition, Noam trains mediators for the Israeli court system, conducts corporate training for the private sector and consults to several community mediation programs. Before joining the Creighton faculty, Noam taught conflict resolution and negotiation at universities around the world. He is a regular visiting professor at Sabanci University in Turkey, and a senior fellow and visiting professor at the United Nations' University for Peace in Costa Rica. His research and writing focus on negotiation pedagogy and on negotiation and mediation processes conducted online.
