Maria R. Volpe, Ph.D. is a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Dispute Resolution Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the City University of New York. She also serves as Convener of the CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium, a university-wide center focusing on research and innovative program development. An internationally known scholar, Dr. Volpe has lectured and written extensively about dispute resolution processes, particularly mediation, and has been widely recognized for her distinguished career in the field of dispute resolution. In addition to teaching and research, she mediates conflicts in educational settings; conducts dispute resolution skills training; facilitates for a wide range of groups; and administers grant funded projects. She is an Editorial Board Member of Conflict Resolution Quarterly, Negotiation Journal, and Practical Dispute Resolution; Past-President of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution [SPIDR]; Ex-President of the New York City Chapter of SPIDR; Member of Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee of the NYS Unified Court System; Former Board Member of the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution [NCPCR]; Ex-Board Member of the Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York; Advisory Panel of NYS Dispute Resolution Public Awareness Action Committee; Member of Association for Conflict Resolution Diversity and Equity Point Person Network, American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section Diversity Committee, American Bar Association Hurricane Katrina Working Group, among others. Dr. Volpe's current research focuses on police use of mediation, dispute resolution in educational settings, ADR responses to disasters, and barriers to minority participation in dispute resolution. She received her PhD from New York University where she was an NIMH Fellow.