Dr. Carol Berz
Dr. Carol Berz, owner of Private Dispute Resolution Services in downtown Chattanooga, will be recognized in Nashville on Feb. 14 with a prestigious honor: the 2014 Grayfield Gray Public Service in Mediation Award, presented by the Coalition for Mediation Awareness in Tennessee (CMAT).
The Grayfield Gray Award seeks to honor those who have made “innovative and lasting public service contributions through alternative dispute resolution in Tennessee.” It is named after its first recipient Grayfred Gray, emeritus professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law and founder of UT’s Mediation Clinic. Past recipients have also included Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder as well as Nashville Second Circuit Court Judge Marietta Shipley.
Dr. Berz will receive the award for helping to pioneer mediation in Tennessee and for developing a highly successful mediation program that has educated mediators nation-wide. Dr. Berz chaired the Mediation component of the Hamilton County Courts’ Pilot Project relative to Tennessee’s Parenting Plan law, a project that has greatly improved the way divorcing families deal with parenting issues, said Berz.
Dr. Berz said she is honored to receive the award alongside other recipients. “I am proud to serve in a leadership role to educate professionals and promote the importance of mediation across the state.
“An award is not what's important here, what does matter is that folks in conflict have a method alternative to traditional court processes to settle their matters. I am truly grateful for the support of the Coalition as well as the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators.”
Private Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, is a training, consulting and service organization that provides individuals, agencies and corporations with the tools necessary for effective and efficient problem-solving. It offers corporate consulting, strategic planning, mediation services and approved education and training in mediation, law and ethics, collaborative problem-solving and conflict management system design.