The Winter Institute Faculty Bios

Barbara Filner, Director, NCRC Training Institute
Ms. Filner has been a mediator with the National Conflict Resolution Center since 1984 and is the Director of NCRC’s Training Institute. She has developed mediator training, workshops and mediator credential programs for numerous institutions and organizations in the U.S. and Europe. She is the author of many articles and co-author of several books on mediation and conflict resolution.

Lisa Maxwell, Senior NCRC Trainer
Ms. Maxwell has been a mediator since 1985 and is currently a senior trainer with SDMC.  She has mediated over 100 cases involving different issues.  She has extensive experience working with large groups, interpersonal disputes and complex issues.  She has a Master’s Degree in education.  She has developed courses in Spanish for monolingual Spanish speakers as well as a unique series of classes in conflict resolution for military housing counselors.   She is an adjunct professor as San Diego State University and also teaches at South Western College.

Julie Cobalt Esq., NCRC Mediator and Assistant Trainer
Ms. Cobalt’s legal background is varied and extensive. She possesses comprehensive, practical experience in dispute resolution and in her role as a neutral. Ms. Cobalt has mediated over 800 cases since 1998 including complex issues, multiple parties, and high dollar cases in a wide variety of areas including mediations in Spanish.

John C. Edwards, NCRC Mediator and Assistant Trainer
Mr. Edwards, an experienced mediator, has been practicing law since 1977. He represented both plaintiffs and defendants in jury trials, court trials, arbitrations and mediations. His mediation practice focuses primarily on commercial and residential real estate matters, construction defect, employment disputes and conflicts in administrative matters in higher education. He is also on NCRC’s Construction Defect, Employment/Workplace and Real Estate Panels.

William Eddy, NCRC Divorce Mediator and Author    
Mr. Eddy, a nationally known author and divorce mediator, has been a family law attorney and divorce mediator in San Diego, for 15 years. He has been certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California. Mr. Eddy has served as a Special Master and as a Settlement Judge in San Diego family law cases. Mr. Eddy is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), with 12 years’ experience providing psychotherapy to children, couples and families.

A. Marco Turk, Esq. is Professor and Program Director of Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), where he has been a strong innovative advocate for community partnerships with organizations such as NCRC.  He holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Washington (Seattle) and a JD cum laude from Southwestern University School of Law.

In October 2003, Professor Turk participated as one of only two Americans invited to attend the Oxford University international workshop on "Getting to Yes" regarding efforts to reunify Cyprus.  In October 2009, he was one of 50 selected attendees at the International Crisis Group Global Briefing in Brussels, Belgium concerning the world’s high conflict areas.