Organizational Beginnings (1991-1997)
1987-1988 Concept Task Force initiated idea of a mediation center in Utah
Sept 7, 1988 The Law & Justice Center is dedicated with a goal to “aid in the fair and efficient resolution of disputes in a cost-effective manner, and to meet the need of making justice more accessible to all.” (Quote from Steve Hutchinson, Executive Director of the Utah State Bar Association from 1985 to 1990)
Jan 1989 Steve Hutchinson, Executive Director, Utah State Bar, submits a grant proposal to obtain funding for divorce mediation training and service; funding was denied.
November 1989 Steve Hutchinson, Executive Director of the Utah State Bar Association, and Dr. Marlene Lehtinen, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Utah, prepare and submit a revised proposal to the State Justice Institute to establish a “Neighborhood Dispute Resolution Demonstration Project.”
January 25, 1991 Initial Funding Received from the State Justice Institute in Virginia The State Justice Institute in Alexandria, Virginia, approves a grant award of $79,200 to the Utah State Bar for the purpose of establishing a “Neighborhood Dispute Resolution Demonstration Project.”
March 1, 1991 Program Launch: Marlene Lehtinen oversees the effort to establish UDR and served as Project Director; Dan Garrison is hired as Program Manager. The Utah State Bar donates office space for UDR; the first office was located in an unfinished space behind the kitchen in the lower level of the Law & Justice Center. Initial funding ran from March 1, 1991 through February 28, 1993.
Initial Phase (3 months): Marlene Lehtinen and Dan Garrison gather information about other mediation programs in other states through literature review and site visits.
September 9, 1991 Task Force convenes to provide guidance. Members included: William Downes, Marcella Keck, Constance White, Richard Schwermer (Administrative Office of the District Courts), Judge Douglas Cornaby, Judge LeRoy Griffiths, Chief Darrel Brady, Chief Robert Nievaard (Salt Lake City Police Department), Stephen Hutchinson, Jerry Williams, Hardin Whitney, Dan Garrison, Kimberly Curtis, John Baldwin, Judge Scott Daniels, Norma Crossley, Diane Abegglan, Sharon Abegglan (Community Action Program), Bud Ellet (County Attorney’s Office), Dr. Marlene Lehtinen
October 1991 A group of 18 volunteers are selected and trained by the Center for Conflict Resolution of Chicago, Illinois; training took place at the Law & Justice Center in Salt Lake City.
November 1991 First mediation is conducted through UDR at Murray small claims court.
1991-1992 UDR partners with small claims courts in Murray, Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, and Logan to offer mediation service.
August 1992 Troy Smith replaces Dan Garrison as Program Manager
Volunteers include: Steve Hutchinson, Marcella Keck, Kim Luhn, Wendy Rowley, Gordon Walker. Mediations conducted at the L&J Center, Murray Small Claims (2 case/wk); Salt Lake City Small Claims (1 case/wk)
February 28, 1993 Original grant funding expires; UDR seeks private funding; Utah State Bar continues to donate office space.
July to Nov 1995 UDR closes due to funding deficiencies
Nov 1995 Two part-time (20 hrs each) employees are hired on staff to conduct intake and scheduling (Rebecca Sanchez and Deborah Callister) Marlene serves as Executive Director.
Volunteers include: Sue Petty, Lisa Fleischer, Ed Barton, Beverly Straud, E. Scott Lee, Jennifer Rigby, Gordon Walker, Dan Garrison, Dean Jackson, Bernard Begue, Ken Madsen, Mailei Bucher
January 1996 Sue Petty is hired on staff, replacing Rebecca Sanchez as Program Manager
1996 Sue Petty and Marlene Lehtinen create a film with help from students at the University of Utah and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s office to encourage the use of mediation
The Utah Bar asks Hardin Whitney, Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section to spearhead an effort to establish UDR as a private entity
July 1996 Articles of Incorporation are filed with the State of Utah, establishing UDR as a private nonprofit corporation
Marlene Lehtinen, Director, submits the Articles of Incorporation to the State of Utah on July 3, 1996. The original Board of Trustees includes:
Hardin Whitney, Esq. Chair (attorney with Moyle & Draper)
William W. Downes, Jr, Esq. (attorney with Winder & Haslam)
John P. Greene (KUER General Manager)
Diane Hamilton (Director, Utah Court-Annexed ADR Program)
Jane Semmel, Esq. (private practitioner)
Cherie P. Shanteau, Esq. (American Stores)
Constance White, Esq. (Utah Public Services Commission)
1996 A group of mediators participate in training that was presented by the Chicago Center of Conflict Resolution in Salt Lake City. UDR creates a panel of 45 trained volunteer mediators (33% attorneys, 25% law students, paralegals, ADR professionals, HR specialists, Social Workers, business owners, etc)
November 1996 Pam Nelson is hired as Program Manager (10 hrs/wk); Sue Petty continues as Program Manager and adds hours to establish Youth Program Manager (30 hrs/wk)
Discussions begin with the Horizonte Technical and Training Center to establish a collaboration (Sue Petty w/UDR and JoAnn Milner w/Horizonte with help from Marlu Gurr
December 1996 UDR staff partners with Utah Legal Services to identify cases appropriate for mediation; staff hold hours at ULS office
January 1997 UDR Board adopts ByLaws
1997 UDR launches Youth Program with Horizonte
April 1997 Articles of Incorporation are amended and filed with the State of Utah
May 1997 IRS 501(c )(3) Status Received The Internal Revenue Service grants UDR status as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization
Phylis Geldzahler replaces Cherie Shanteau on the Board of Trustees
August 1997 Marlene Lehtinen resigns as Executive Director
Transition to Susan Bradshaw with Staff Expansion (1997-1999)
September 1997 Susan Bradshaw replaces Marlene Lehtinen as Executive Director (Part-time September to December 1997; full-time January 1998)
May 1998 UDR accepts Mary Jane Whisenant and Russ Osguthorpe as interns
1998 UDR establishes a Family Mediation Program with referrals from Utah Legal Services and Legal Aid Society; volunteers mediate cases involving divorce, custody, and parent-teen disputes.
May to June 1998 Susan Bradshaw takes leave of absence
June 1998 UDR procures CCJJ grant of $35,000 to expand the Horizonte project
August 1998 Meggan McLean is hired to assist with the Horizonte Project
Autumn 1998 UDR moves into a new office in the lower level of the Law & Justice Center. Architect Fred Montmorency donated services to design the space, and the Dumke Foundation funded the construction. UDR held an Open House to dedicate the new space on October 23, 1998.
September 11, 1998 UDR Board of Trustees meets in retreat to develop a Strategic Plan (mission statement and goals & objectives are created)
1998 Russ Osguthorpe is hired on staff
March 1999 Susan Bradshaw resigns as Executive Director
Program Stabilizes and Expands under Direction of Bill Downes
March 1999 Bill Downes resigns the Board of Trustees and is hired as Executive Director
June 1999 Meggan McLean resigns end of June
June 1999 Board of Trustees replaces Bill with a new Trustee: Rich McKeown, and adds a Trustee, Steven Nebeker
June 8, 2000 UDR receives funding assistance from the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) to purchase and install MADTrac, an electronic database to manage and track cases.
2000 Tim Daniels replaces Liz Hansen on UDR’s staff (30hr/wk); Family Law Mediation Trial Project begins w/Commissioner Evans in Third District
Board of Trustees
Hardin Whitney, Chair
Diane Hamilton, Vice Chair
Jane Semmel, Secretary
Trustees: Phyllis Geldzahler, John Greene, Richard McKeown, Constance White, Stephen Nebeker
Bill Downes, Executive Director
Family Mediation Program proposed
Sept 2000 John Greene Resigns board
2000 UDR receives funding from the Utah State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (UCJJ) to further the Youth Program at Horizonte School.
2001 Salt Lake Peer Court presents UDR with an award recognizing its “valuable contribution.”
November 2004 Bill Downes resigns as Executive Director and joins the Board of Trustees as President
Transition to Nancy McGahey as Director (2004 to 2019)
November 2004 Nancy McGahey is hired as Executive Director
2005 UDR presents its Intake and Screening model during a Summit that is convened by the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish a Best Practice Guideline for Screening Cases that involve a History of Domestic Violence; Summit participants use UDR’s model as the foundation for the Guideline.
2006 UDR adopts Family Mediation Best Practice Guidelines
2007 UDR opens a satellite office in South Ogden in donated space provided by Brian Florence. An Open House celebration was held on January 31, 2007.
UDR expands Small Claims Appeals Mediation Program to Second District.
2008 UDR receives the Peter W. Billings, Sr. Award from the Utah State Bar Dispute Resolution Section for “outstanding commitment to conflict resolution and the communities they serve.”
UDR launches a Domestic Mediation Mentorship Program that exceeds the Court Rule for mediators to become court rostered as divorce mediators.
2008-2009 UDR Board of Trustees adopts formal policies to comply with best practice standards for nonprofit organizations. Policies include: Personnel, Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest, Whistle Blower, Record Retention and Destruction, Financial, and Investment.
2009 UDR expands Youth Program to Ogden at the Washington alternative school.
UDR’s Northern Office moves from South Ogden to the YCC Center on Adams Avenue in Ogden.
2009-2011 UDR partners with The Department of Workforce Services to provide training and services for Salt Lake City Refugee community leaders.
2010-2013 UDR partners with the Asian Association and later with the Sudanese Community in Utah to provide conflict resolution training for youth and their parents.
August 2010 Establishes partnership with Southern Utah University to provide mediation and conflict resolution training.
2010 UDR launches a Domestic Mediation Practicum Program to give newly rostered domestic mediators the opportunity to gain mediation experience in the domestic arena.
September 25, 2012 Horizonte Technical and Training Center presents UDR with an award “in recognition of (UDR’s) contribution and commitment to the success of Horizonte students and their families.”
December 17, 2012 The Sudanese Community in Utah SCUT presents UDR with a Certificate of Appreciation “in recognition of being a caring partner with SCUT.”
Nov 2013 Russ Osguthorpe resigns; UDR restructures staffing: venue coordinators provide on-site court oversight; UDR staff provides administrative oversight
2014 UDR Board adopts a volunteer mediator contract to comply with liability insurance requirements.
June 2015 UDR launches a project to provide qualified volunteer mediators for dedicated Pro Se Calendars in commissioner courtrooms in the Third Judicial District.
January 2017 Under new leadership, the Horizonte School expands its focus on restorative justice and partners with UDR to provide full-time staffing in support of the Youth Program.
June 2019 Nancy McGahey resigns as Executive Director. Pam Pannier took over scheduling responsibilities for the Court Assisted Pro Se Calendar Family Mediation Program.
Transition to Jenaveve Arnoldus as Director (2019 to 2022)
May 2019 Jenaveve Arnoldus is hired as Executive Director
March 2020 Covid hit. Jenaveve with the help of Karrie Ketchum and Jennifer Frahm moved UDR to an online based business working remote. Pam Pannier worked with Commissioners to provide Zoom mediations to keep the program running.
2020 Volunteer mediators fees restructured
November 2021 First Basic Training via Zoom
November 2022 Domestic Mediation training resumes; Jenaveve passes away.
December 2022- March 2023 UDR managed by Board of Trustees, Karrie Ketchum, & Martha McCowen
Transition to Karrie Ketchum as Director (2023 to Present)
March 2023 Karrie Ketchum hired as Executive Director; restructures mediators fees.
May 2023 Karrie Ketchum and Laura Hansen restructure Basic Mediation Training to a synchronous and asynchronous training.