Irvin Foster

Irvin Foster is the Executive Director of the National Association for Community Mediation and a volunteer mediator with the Dayton Mediation Center. He previously served on NAFCM’s Board of Directors and as the Contract Executive Director of the St. Mary’s County Community Mediation Center in Leonardtown, Maryland and was Coordinator of the Village Mediation Program in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He is currently the principle in Catalyst – IPF a conflict resolution services firm in Dayton Ohio.

As a consultant, he has designed programs and training, written grants for mediation and conflict resolution providers and other non-profit agencies, conducted training in business planning and development for small businesses, and investigated and reviewed employment and program discrimination claims for U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, and D. C. Irvin was the managing attorney for a five-lawyer community-based legal practice where he advised clients in civil, criminal, domestic and employment matters, and served as outside counsel for Potomac Electric and Power Co. He has also counseled non-profit corporations and small businesses; represented clients in civil and criminal matters, unemployment benefits and employee grievance hearings; lectured for paralegal programs at George Washington University and the University of Maryland, and was an instructor for the DC Superior Court Domestic Violence Education Program. Irvin was also Executive Director of Far East Community Services of Washington, D.C., where he supervised a 43-person staff and the operations of a neighborhood development organization. He drafted foundation a government grant proposals, prepared budgets, coordinated fund raising and staffing, and answered to a community based board of directors.

Irvin served as a Southwest Priority Board Member in Dayton Ohio and was a Citizen Reviewer on Domestic Violence Grants, for the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service. He was President of the Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association, in Washington, D. C, and was a Licensed Foster Parent in Fairfax County, Virginia. Irvin attended Phillips Exeter Academy and received a BA in Philosophy from Hiram College.

He received a Juris Doctorate degree from Catholic University Law and is a candidate for a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution from Antioch University. He has received extensive training in mediation, including family and custody mediation, eldercare and guardianship mediation, special education mediation, comprehensive School conflict management and transformative mediation training.

Board of Directors

Sec of State Hermann COHEN (Ret.)

Irvin FOSTER

Virginia LORENZO

Dr William SCHIPPER

Staff

Dr Hassan YEMER