October 2025 Newsletter

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - 6:00pm

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CDS Staff Present at NYSDRA Legacy Conference

CDS President/CEO Shira May, Ph.D., and Program Manager Subrata Paul, Esq. presented at the New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) Annual Conference on September 25th.

The session, titled Champions of ADR in Family Court, also included Katherine Wurmfeld, Esq., from the Center for Justice Innovation, John McCullough from New Justice Conflict Resolution Services, and Karen Carroll from Child and Family Services.

This year's conference marked NYSDRA's 40th Anniversary serving the ADR community in New York State.

NYSDRA's 40th Anniversary Conference

CaTyra Polland, Training & Community Engagement

As a newbie to the ADR space, I appreciated attending this year's conference. There were a few standout quotes and sessions that were enlightening.

My Key Takeaways from the Keynote by Sukhsimranjit Singh, Ph.D.

"Titles limit us and make us comfortable." -Singh, Ph.D.
"You must remove your shoes to walk in someone else's." -Singh, Ph.D.
"Do you know the story you have been telling yourself? You can change it." -Singh, Ph.D.

LIT-U-ATION: Sparking an interest in Literacy Through a Restorative Lens Across Generations by Quianna Bennett, Tracey Johnson,; Marshay Hine, and Dr. Tia Pressey

LIT-U-ATION, co-founded by Quianna Bennett and Tracey Johnson, is an innovative program designed to address the literacy crisis through restorative practices. By building partnerships with schools, community organizations, and families, the program creates a supportive environment where children as young as five can explore language while adults engage as co-learners. Sessions combine culturally responsive literature with restorative circles to spark curiosity and healing dialogue.

My Key Takeaways:

Effective icebreaker builds rapport between students and teachers
Critical analysis and perspective sharing engaged all participants
"Literacy is a gift" -Tracey Johnson
Journals and pens open the doors to liberation and self-expression
Intergenerational interaction benefited all participants
Program focuses on culturally relevant and responsive materials/activities/discussions (the use of picture books for all ages, not just children)

Welcome, Kylee!

Intern

My name is Kylee Barry and I am from Syracuse, NY. I am currently a senior at SUNY Brockport with majors in Criminal Justice and Sociology and minors in Forensic Science and Psychology. I am still figuring out what my career goals are after graduation. My advisor told me about the Center for Dispute Settlement after I told him I was interested in working with people. This seemed like a good place to start. My first few weeks have gone really well. I had the chance to observe my first mediation. It was really interesting seeing mediation at work. I am excited to sit in on more sessions in the future and expand my knowledge on mediation.

1. What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people?

I am a big animal lover. My summer job while being in college is working in customer service at the zoo in Syracuse!

2. What is your role/title with CDS?

I am a senior at SUNY Brockport with majors in Criminal Justice and Sociology and minors in Psychology and Forensics. I am interning with the Center of Dispute Settlement.

3. What do you enjoy about your role with CDS?

So far during my internship, I have enjoyed learning about mediation. It wasn't a practice that I was super familiar with before starting here. I have been able to observe a mediation session and have seen it be beneficial for clients. I look forward to being able to sit in on more mediation sessions in the future and see how they're similar and different from each other.

4. How do you best collaborate with colleagues?

Good collaboration with colleagues comes from good communication with each other. I always have an open ear for colleagues if they need to talk through something out loud. It is also important to lean on your team and communicate when you need assistance.

5. What are your hobbies?

Some of my hobbies include reading, traveling, and cooking.

6. How do you achieve a balance between work and your personal life?

The best way I balance my work life, school life, and personal life is good time management. At the beginning of every week, I sit down and make a list of everything I need to get done. This helps me keep track of my school work and allows me to have time to do the things I enjoy. It feels really rewarding when I check something off of my to-do list.