Arbitrators and Mediators
Becoming a Certified Arbitrator and Mediator brings Toni full circle from the beginning of her career. Her first job out of college was as Director of Arbitration for the Better Business Bureau of Austin, where she trained more than 400 volunteers to determine resolutions to consumer-business disputes.
Public Relations took her down her next career path, where she served in the following capacities:
- Director of Customer Relations, Jack Brown Cleaners
- Director of Community Relations, Humane Society of Austin, Inc.
- Promotions/Marketing Director for radio stations KVET AM/FM, KASE 101 FM
- Small Business Owner of her own PR/Lobby company, and AusTex Process Service
She has volunteered at a number of community organizations and has served on many of their Boards of Directors, including the Bipolar Foundation of Central Texas, Austin Crimestoppers, The Humane Society of Austin & Travis County, Texas Association of Professional Process Servers, and others.
Toni’s a strong supporter of her alma-mater, The University of Texas—where she earned a business degree. She’s a wife, step-mother to 3, a rescuer of homeless dogs, world traveler, and a proud Austinite.
Nick spent over 20 years as a Texas Senate Chief of Staff and is now a lobbyist for various interests. Among them are insurance, water issues, worker’s compensation, gaming/gambling, oil and gas, environmental concerns, child protective service issues and healthcare. He has written many pieces of legislation in each of those areas, and continues to work on these issues in the legistative arena today.
He has entered the fields of arbitration and mediation to help alleviate jam-packed court dockets, help various business interests in arbitration settle disputes and help find in various disputed issues. He has found that arbitrating/mediating problem different from the Senate and lobby world, Today he still works with parties on two sides of a piece of legislation to reach an agreement beneficial to both sides.
He graduated from Texas A & M University (Texarkana) with a business degree focused on finance and economics.
Nick was in the insurance business for 13 years and owned and operated a property/casualty insurance agency in Austin. He was also a small business owner in the sporting goods industry.
Nick has served as President of the Bipolar Foundation of Central Texas, is an avid golfer, has 3 children and is married. He is a former board member of the Rotary Club, and a former board member of The Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
Our Additional Training:
Co-Mediation: Applicability and Practical Considerations
Austin Association of MediatorsKnowing when, and how, to use multiple mediators
This certificate verifies that our arbitrators and mediators understand the roles and applications of co-mediation, as well as how and when it is appropriate.
Annual Ethics Continuing Education
Austin Association of MediatorsSetting the Bar
Our arbitrators and mediators are required to complete several hours of ethics training in order to maintain the strictest standards within their line of work.
Family Violence Training
Dallas County Dispute Resolution CenterKeeping Families Safe
Unfortunately, domestic violence is not often easily recognized and is not disclosed. That’s why our arbitrators and mediators undergo rigorous training to be able to identify and recognize multiple signs of abuse.