Southeast Agricultural Mediation Workshop:       Conflict Resolution Skills 

Do you struggle with difficult situations in your work?

Come join us and learn techniques to better address these challenges!

Loraine Della Porta and Courtney Breese of the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) will provide an interactive workshop to introduce farmers and agricultural commissions to basic communication and conflict resolution skills to enhance their ability to address conflicts that arise in day-to-day dealings with customers, suppliers, neighbors, the public, etc. Participants will take a look at their own perceptions of conflict, and also learn effective techniques for better communication, as well as managing and resolving conflict. The workshop also includes a “conflict clinic” where participants have the opportunity to discuss real conflicts and get tips on how to address these situations.

The Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) is an institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, whose mission is to build capacity for conflict resolution and prevention and facilitate collaboration and consensus-building within public entities and across sectors state-wide. MOPC runs the state Agricultural Mediation Program, certified by the USDA.

Workshop Leaders

Courtney Breese is the Program Manager at the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) and runs the Agricultural Mediation Program at MOPC. She is a trained mediator, facilitator, and dialogue moderator and has provided numerous workshops on conflict resolution and meeting management for the agricultural community in Massachusetts.

Loraine Della Porta is Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC). Her public sector career spans over twenty years and reflects extensive experience in conflict prevention, organizational development and training. Loraine has spent many years administering, mediating and training through the Agricultural Mediation Program.