Statement on the Final Transition of the National Roster of Environmental Conflict Resolution Professionals
Posted:
4/5/2023
The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation’s (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center) is announcing that administration of the National Roster of Environmental Conflict Resolution Professionals (Roster) will transition to the Association for Conflict Resolution’s Environment and Public Policy Section (ACR EPP) and Mediate.com (Mediate). The Roster, an online tool currently administered by the National Center for public use, is a database of more than 300 highly qualified and experienced professionals who resolve environmental disputes and support collaborative solutions to complex public policy issues. Federal agencies, State and Local governments, Tribes, nonprofits, and the private sector use the Roster to locate professional mediators, facilitators, and conflict resolution service providers.
“While we are saddened that our administration of the Roster is ending, we are proud of the work that has gone into the Roster including the efforts of the community of practitioners and the body of work reflected in it. We are also excited that the partnership between ACR EPP and Mediate will be a new opportunity for the Roster to evolve and grow in its capacity to support the Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution (ECCR) community while producing new and exciting opportunities for practitioner-driven improvements,” said National Center Director Brian J. Manwaring. ACR EPP’s and Mediate’s collaborative framework will support the potential to expand and diversify membership; develop meaningful networks; improve and advance the Roster online platform; and co-create a robust resource to reach potential Roster users, practioners, and partners. ACR EPP and Mediate will share the development, administration, and governance responsibilities for a newly created Roster platform and its related processes.
History of the Roster
The Roster was initially developed as a partnership between the National Center (then named the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and ECCR practitioners, among others. Countless hours and resources have been invested in developing, maintaining, and advancing the Roster platform and maintaining member profiles and information. Since the Roster’s inception in 1998, it has served as a resource for representatives of Federal, Tribal, and State governments; nongovernmental organizations; industry; academia; and the public.
Next Steps
The Roster administration will transition to ACR EPP and Mediate.com on April 12, 2023, and will be populated with the most recent publicly available Roster data. The ACR EPP and Mediate team will outline future expectations for the Roster and details about the launch. The current Roster will remain active on the Udall Foundation’s website through April 12, 2023, until the new Roster platform is available (although changes to profile data may be restricted).
Continuing Support for ECCR in the Federal Government
Consistent with its mission, the National Center will continue to support the use of ECCR across the Federal Government and will provide facilitation, mediation, assessment, and capacity-building services in a manner consistent with the Udall Foundation’s enabling legislation. Work conducted under contract by private and university-based ECCR practitioners will continue to be critical to the National Center’s ability to meet the demand for these services. As the National Center concludes its administrative role, our team anticipates that continued use of the Roster in its new home will help the National Center and other Federal partners connect with a vibrant community of mediators, facilitators, and engagement experts.
The Udall Foundation took action in 2020 to strengthen its partnership with ECCR professionals by hiring a full-time contracting officer, which eventually allowed the agency to move all contracting actions in-house for the first time in nearly a decade. National Center staff will be exploring options to leverage this change to streamline contracting operations and create additional efficiencies benefiting the National Center, its contractors, and its Federal partners.
More Information
For more information regarding the National Center and its collaboration, consensus-building, and conflict resolution services, please visit its program page.
About the Udall Foundation
The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall for his half century of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
The Udall Foundation is authorized by Congress to:
- Award Scholarships, Fellowships, and Internships for study in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and Tribal public policy.
- Connect youth to the Nation’s public lands and natural resources to foster greater understanding, appreciation, stewardship, and enjoyment of those lands and resources through photography, positive outdoor experiences, and environmental education through the Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus® Program.
- Provide funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes.
- Provide funding to the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, a program of the Udall Center, for research, education, and outreach on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues.
- Provide funding through the Udall Center to The University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections to serve as the repository for the papers of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.
- Provide impartial collaboration, consensus-building, training, and conflict resolution services on a wide range of environmental, natural and cultural resources, Tribal, and public lands issues, conflicts, and disputes involving the Federal Government through the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
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