President

Dr. Jack Goetz, Esq.

As the founder and President of MC3, Jack Goetz has been the principal architect and advocate for an industry effort to set a standard for mediation training, practical experience, continuing education, accountability and public protection that will elevate and professionalize the field. His 2014 article on serving the public by professionalizing mediation, co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Kalfsbeek, proposed the professional model that serves as the basis for MC3 certification standards.

A longtime lecturer and educator, Dr. Goetz currently serves on the faculty at both the USC Gould School of Law and the business department at Moorpark College. He taught mediation for 7 years at the California State University campuses in Northridge and Dominguez Hills and he received international acclaim for creating the first nationally accredited online law school, Concord Law School, now a part of the Purdue University Global system. Dr. Goetz also serves as a Commissioner for the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, overseeing the accreditation compliance of nationally accredited online educational institutions.

The 2018 President of the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA), Dr. Goetz has been a member of the SCMA board since 2016. As a neutral, he serves the public privately and, additionally, serves on numerous public panels, including his work as vice-chair for the LA County Bar Association Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Services. Dr. Goetz also served as a temporary judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court (2012-2017) and as a member of the California State Bar Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution (2014-2017).

Vice President

Henry Alfano

Henry Alfano has been working as an entrepreneur and senior executive for more than 25 years. Mr. Alfano currently serves as CEO of Yellow Cannon Ventures where he provides services as an executive advisor to companies in the Technology, Healthcare, Hospitality, Investment Banking, and Entertainment industries. He serves as Chairman and President at ClickPoint Software. Mr. Alfano actively leads strategic operations and Internet marketing for this sales acceleration and lead management SaaS company.

Mr. Alfano has a long history of entrepreneurial success in the technology and Internet marketing sectors. His experience includes the planning, development and implementation of award-winning web sites, web related applications and Internet marketing strategies for many well-known brands. Prior to Yellow Cannon and ClickPoint Software, Mr. Alfano served as Chief Technology Officer for Steinway Musical Instruments (formerly NYSE:LVB) where his duties included identifying strategic technology and Internet marketing opportunities for the storied brands of this iconic company. He quickly proved himself to be a valuable asset, bringing web-based marketing initiatives, sales prospect generation and brand reach through tech marketing channels to an entirely new level.

Secretary

Janie Winning

Janie Winning is a CEO, Mediator / Arbitrator and AAA Panelist – Construction Division. With a BA in Business Administration from Cedarville University in Ohio, where her emphasis was Finance and Marketing, also has a MDR in Dispute Resolution from Straus Institute at Pepperdine. Her MDR focus included Certified Mediator Restorative Justice Circles, Restorative Justice Conferencing, and Mediation and Advanced Mediation Training by Ken Cloke. She also has CLE’s from Stanford in Construction Law workshops and Integrated Project Delivery (a collaborative approach to the design and construction of complex capital projects using multiparty contracts).

With a background as a Project Scheduling Analyst, Scheduler, Strategic Program Officer, Integrated Building Solutions Manager she developed project management analytical processes, metrics, and schedules. Later she dealt with monthly management project reports, involving cost/schedule analysis, documentation of status, and development of client-focused management information.

Today, as CEO, she provides program delivery support in the form of Mediation services focusing on risk identification and mitigation strategies. The focus is on early dispute resolution, negotiations, and settlement conferences during the project. Executive advisement is provided in the administration of collaborative construction planning and claims avoidance strategies.

Treasurer

Leonard Gross

Len Gross has led major commercial enterprises for over 50 years, conducting business in the U.S. and around the world.  He has served as COB, CEO, COO and CFO of prominent distribution, manufacturing and technology companies.  He has effectively dealt with sensitive issues & diverse customs throughout the U.S. as well as internationally in South Korea, China, Ukraine, UK, Colombia, and the Czech Republic.  He holds positions on four Corporate Boards at this time.

Len now serves as a highly regarded MC3 certified mediator specializing in resolving commercial issues, with an emphasis on landlord-tenant disputes. With respect to the later, he is an assigned mediator in UD Courts at the Mosk LA County Superior Court, having successfully resolved just under 100 cases there.  Len also actively arbitrates fee disagreements between attorneys and their clients on behalf of the LA County Bar Association (LACBA), and the Santa Monica Bar Association.  In addition, he is an authorized arbitrator for FINRA (Financial Industry National Regulatory Authority).  Len is an Affiliated Member of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), a member of the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA), a public speaker for their Outreach Committee, a Senior Scholar at UCLA, and a retired CPA.

Len holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington, one in Basic Medical Science and the other in Electrical Engineering.  Following that, he earned a MS in Quantitative Business Analysis from USC with exemplary grades. His avocation includes scaling mountains not far from home in the High Sierras, plus those around the world from the Himalayas to the Andes. In addition to his hiking exploits, Len enjoys competitive tennis matches, as a player and avid spectator.

Counsel

Adam Ravitch, Esq.

Adam Ravitch brings his legal background and experience to the MC3 Board. This experience has had a great impact on the development of MC3’s legal policies and procedures. Mr. Ravitch received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his law degree from the University of Southern California. He received his initial mediation training while an undergraduate at BYU. At USC, he participated in the inaugural class of the USC Mediation Clinic. Mr. Ravitch clerked for two years at a federal district court before entering private law practice. He is a member of the California and Utah Bars and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He has volunteered as a day-of-court mediator with Utah Dispute Resolution, the California Academy of Mediation Professionals, and the Center for Conflict Resolution.

Andy Reimer

Andy Reimer has had a 30+ year career as an executive in the entertainment industry and has held senior management positions at companies including HBO, Viacom, Lionsgate, BET and Warner Bros. Mr. Reimer’s work has involved general management, strategic planning, project/team supervision and numerous other arenas. In particular, he has had extensive experience in deal structuring and negotiation as well as financial analyses in a creative environment. Mr. Reimer received the Humanitas Prize for his work as an Executive Producer on the Academy Award® winning film, “Crash”. Mr. Reimer’s mediation practice has a particular focus on the Film and Television industry. He has, in addition, been a mediator in numerous courtrooms at the LA Superior Court and is an approved arbitrator with FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Pamela Struss

Pamela K. Struss, PhD is a scholar practitioner and teaches conflict resolution practiced based including mediation theory and practice courses for undergraduate and graduate students at the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. She teaches the Basics of Conflict Resolution to community groups including churches, governmental boards and K-12 schools in the U.S. Dr. Struss conducts mediation for the court system, public school district staff and faculty and real estate.  Pamela founded the Resilient Women of the Northern Neck Dialogue bringing women together in a historically segregated region on the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. Her latest interest is enslaved people’s conciliation, conflict on the Chesapeake Bay between stakeholders and nonviolent resistance as a conflict resolution tool.

Alan Weiner

Alan Wiener became fully engaged in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in 1999, after practicing law for 20 years.  The focus of his work since 2001 has been developing statewide rules of court, policies, and standards of conduct for ADR professionals, including for the California Judicial Council Administrative Office of the Courts (2001-2013), and then for the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO, 2015-2018). Alan also served as a consultant to MC3 in the development of its Grievance Procedure. Before becoming fully engaged in ADR policy work in 2001, Alan was in private practice as a Mediator and Dispute Resolution Consultant.

Alan has developed and presented many ADR training programs for judges, court staff, and ADR practitioners, including a 40-hour basic mediation course. Alan has also been an organizer, moderator and/or panelist at numerous dispute resolution conferences and programs, including those offered by the American  Bar Association (ABA) Section of Dispute Resolution, the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), the Southern California Mediation Association, the California Dispute Resolution Council, and Community Mediation Maryland. Alan has served in ADR leadership positions, including with the California State Bar Standing ADR Committee, the San Diego County Bar Association ADR Committee, the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, and the San Diego Chapter of ACR.

Alan received an L.LM. in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2003 (subsuming a Masters in Dispute Resolution received from Pepperdine in 2000) and a Juris Doctorate cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1979.

Chris Welch

Chris Welch received his Master of Dispute Resolution degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in 2005. He worked at the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) since 2004, Director of since 2008 and Executive Director since summer 2013. His work at CCR involved oversight of over 500 volunteers/students and over 18,000 mediations. Working with volunteers, universities, courts and the community motivates him daily. In 2017 he was the recipient of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations John Anson Ford Award for his work on the Hindenburg Park Sign Project. Mr. Welch previously served as Treasurer of MC3, and is dedicated to working to raise the standards for all mediators throughout California.

Marvin Whistler

Marvin provides mediation, arbitration, facilitation, and conciliation services. He mediates divorce, parenting, real estate, community, landlord-tenant, civil litigation, etc. His facilitation work is in the areas of community situations/dispute; and corporate communication.  He evaluates mediator skills; supervising mediators; helps parties resolve conflicts related to their financial planning goals; guiding clients in their planning for retirement savings and income; planning for future client financial needs; selling and managing real property. Private mediation practice includes: Family Law Mediation, Divorce, Parenting Plans, and other family issues

Mediation Panels membership include: Southern California Family Mediation mediating Parenting Plans and Post-Adoption Visitation Plans; Ventura County Superior - Civil Litigation, Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Service Mediator/Arbitrator focusing on Attorney-Client Fee Disputes; California Academy of Mediation Professionals; Mediation for Los Angeles County Superior Court; Los Angeles City Attorney Dispute Resolution Program - Mediator/Conciliator Community Mediation.

California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California, Master of Arts, Behavioral Science: Negotiation and Conflict Management and Paralegal Certificates: Core and Advanced; California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration Affiliations. Other affiliations: Southern California Mediation Association, Board Member/Treasurer; Academy of Professional Family Mediators, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists; Los Angeles County Bar Association; and FINRA Arbitration Panel.

Victoria Gray

Victoria Gray is a mediator and a trainer with an extensive background in labor advocacy, collective bargaining negotiations and mediation. In the last fifteen years her mediation experience included cases while serving as a federal mediator, a Los Angeles County Superior Court Panel member, a mediator for Southern California Family Mediation (SCFM)  for the Los Angeles County Dependency Court, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission settlement conference panel mediator.  She served as a Board Member for the Southern California Mediation Association and is currently a Co-Chairman of the Board for Mediators Beyond Borders (MBBI) where she also served as a team member for the MBBI-Kenya Initiative. She has a BA in Anthropology from California State University at Northridge, a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University, and a Masters in Conflict Resolution from Dominican University where she served several years as an Adjunct Professor.

Professor A. Marco Turk

Prof. Turk is one of the most experienced and prominent educators, authors, lecturers and practitioners in the field of mediation. He has served on the faculties of California State University Dominguez Hills, Straus Institution for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, Loyola Law School, and the University of California Irvine.  He co-designed/developed the first University of California system online distance-learning graduate program to offer a Master of Advanced Study in Criminology, Law and Society.  Prof. Turk was a Fulbright Senior Scholar (Professor) in Conflict Resolution for the Cyprus Fulbright Commission where he spent 23 months on Cyprus to train the island’s divided population in methods to resolve historical conflicts there, which work continues to this day.

Prof. Turk brings a wealth of experience and interest in the area of mediation ethics, a subject he has taught, presented and written about.  He was invited as one of a five-member special California Judicial Council - Mediator Ethics Experts Panel that designed an innovative distance learning course on the Rules of Conduct for Mediators in Court-Connected Mediation Programs, a course that MC3 has incorporated among the qualifications for all MC3-Certified Mediators.

He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards that have recognized his contributions to the fields of Mediation, Peacebuilding, and Education. He is a member of the Editorial Board for Conflict Resolution Quarterly and has written dozens of articles on issues pertaining to ADR in publications that include the Villanova Journal for Peace & Justice Studies, Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, Los Angeles Lawyer, and others.

Licensed in California as an attorney since 1961, he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts.  He has been a court-qualified mediator with LA County Bar Assn. and the Ventura Superior Court, and he serves on the panel of mediators for the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, among other panels.

Lynn Johnson >>

Lynn Johnson served as board member, executive director, and technology advisor for MC3 from November 2019 until he passed away unexpectedly on the night of January 29, 2023. Lynn volunteered many years for several mediation organizations in California and Oregon, mediating hundreds of cases and completing over 150 hours of mediation training. Lynn transitioned to mediation after a career in statistics, research, computer technology, and consulting, looking for an application of his softer science skills. His mediation study and practice ranged from basic mediation to court-connected and community mediation to parent-and-teen and restorative-justice environments. He made a permanent, positive impact on the lives of the many people whose problems he mediated. As the executive director of MC3, Lynn helped create the applicant portal and put in place systems and processes that govern MC3’s day-to-day operations. He leaves big shoes to fill and a tremendous hole in the hearts of all of us at MC3. We have all benefited from knowing him and will miss him dearly.