Faculty
Neil Bodine, J.D., is a partner with the San Francisco law firm of Beeson, Tayer & Bodine, in addition to serving as the president of the Workplace Institute. He has many years of experience negotiating successful agreements in dozens of high-profile disputes and is one of the most popular instructors in the UC Davis Extension Executive Program.
Susan Carpenter, Ph.D., is a mediator, trainer and writer in private practice. She has spent the past 25 years developing and managing programs to reach consensus on public issues, resolve public controversies and develop common goals and visions at the local, state and national levels. She currently works with organizations and groups to build capacity for collaboration and conflict resolution.
Susan Christy, Ph.D., CMC, is a professional speaker and corporate consultant specializing in leadership, change management, customer services and team building. Before starting her own business, she was vice president of a training firm in San Francisco, a psychology professor and a TV talk show host. She serves on the board of directors at the Institute of Management Consultants, the California Institute of Integral Studies and Keep Your Freedom, Keep Your Dreams.
Gene Crumley, M.Div., was the director for the UC Davis Executive Program for 10 years, from 1998-2008. Currently, he is chair of UC Davis Extension’s Business & Leadership department. Prior to coming to UC Davis, Crumley spent 13 years with Habitat for Humanity International. He is a graduate of both UC Davis and San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian).
Ken Davis, M.A., is a program manager of Conflict Resolution Associates in Ohio and has extensive training experience in mediation, facilitation and conflict resolution. He also serves as a court program consultant and trainer, and as group facilitator in nonprofit organizational disputes.
Miranda Duncan, J.D., M.S., is the executive director of a dispute resolution center in Silverdale, Wash., which offers mediation, facilitation and training in a variety of contexts. She has extensive experience in community development, working to clarify goals, strengthening board cohesion, implementing special projects in diversity and assisting local governments with collaborative problem solving and public participation.
Elvia García-Ayala is the program manager of Community Mediation Services, City of Davis. She has 15 years of experience in the field of community mediation in a number of areas, including program development, training, mentoring and coaching, mediation, facilitation and community education and outreach.
Larry Hoover has more than 30 years of specialized experience in public employment issues. He is the sole proprietor of Mediation Associates, specializing in mediations in both higher education and public employment.
Mary Madison, J.D., is an analyst with the UC Davis Information Center for the Environment. She has written extensively on environmental issues surrounding Chesapeake Bay and facilitated nationwide meetings to create a nonprofit organization for family fishermen of the Chesapeake. Madison has also coordinated data collection for nearly 20 state and federal agencies into the Natural Resource Projects Inventory, and is facilitating a watershed group in Monterey to address the impacts of transportation projects in the area.
Wafa Nijmeddin, Psy.D., O.D., R.O.D.C., has more than 20 years of management experience in private and public organizations and has worked extensively with diverse populations, both internationally and in the U.S. She specializes in leadership and organization development consulting and training. Nijmeddin previously managed multiple, federally-funded training programs at the Workforce Investment Board, and she served as training manager for the Fresno County Human Services System.
Carolyn Penny holds a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of San Diego. She has an extensive background in conflict resolution issue-framing, meeting design, facilitation of multi-stakeholder decision making, strategic and organizational planning, mediation, facilitation of public engagement processes, training, and analysis and writing. Her clients have included private-sector companies, community grassroots efforts, nonprofit organizations and public-sector agencies. With a Certificate in Land Use and Environmental Planning from UC Davis Extension, Penny has facilitated problem solving on a variety of issues—including water use, transportation, land use, education, public health, the environment and quality of life.
Elaine Fukuhara Schilling has been a leader and consultant in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, higher education and government. As such she has focues on developing competencies of managers and leaders; building more productive and accountable work teams and environments; evaluating programs and services; and creating competency-based leadership programs. She is a former manager of training and development at UC Berkeley and at a large financial institution. In addition, Schilling is on the faculty at San Francisco State University, where she teaches human resources management courses for the College of Health and Human Services.
