Rick Bales is a faculty member at Ohio Northern University Law School. He teaches a wide variety of labor/employment and ADR courses, Torts, and Civil Procedure. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles and authored or co-authored 10 books on a variety of topics related to labor/employment/ADR, including Labor and Employment Arbitration in a Nutshell and the casebook ADR in the Workplace. Rick also is a labor arbitrator. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and he serves on panels for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, American Arbitration Association, State Employee Relations Board (Ohio), Michigan Employee Relations Commission, Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services, Houston Police Department, City of Columbus & Fraternal Order of Police, Lockheed Martin/IAM, and PERG-U.S. Virgin Islands.

Douglas J. Behringer is an attorney for the FOP/OLC, working out of the Columbus office.  He was born and raised in northwestern Ohio.  Doug started his military career early when he joined the Army Reserve as a junior in high school.  He received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University before going on active duty in the Army.  While in the military, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and spent a year as a peacekeeper in Egypt.  
After a stint in the Army, he returned to college and obtained his law degree (J.D.) from The Ohio State University, with honors. He was in private practice in central Ohio for six years before joining the FOP/OLC in 2002.
Doug has over twenty-three years' experience in litigation, administrative, labor and employment matters. He has represented members of the FOP, OLC in disciplinary matters, investigations, litigation, grievances, arbitrations, contract negotiations, mediation, civil service, criminal matters, appeals and unfair labor practice matters. He is admitted to both the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the Southern District of Ohio. He has argued cases throughout Ohio at arbitration and in numerous courts at the Municipal, Common Pleas and Appellate level.

40 years with Federal Mediation; Director of all Field Operations; Lead role in national bargaining throughout US. Last 12 years Arbitration, Mediation, Fact finding in Public, Private sectors. Specializing conflict resolution, relationship building, process facilitation.

Sarah Rudolph Cole is the Michael E. Moritz Chair in Alternative Dispute Resolution. She teaches courses in mediation, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, torts, and labor law. She is a professional arbitrator and mediator and arbitrates labor, employment, and commercial cases for AAA, CPR, and the State of Ohio. A nationally prominent expert on alternative dispute resolution, Professor Cole researches and writes about legal and policy issues that arise because of the increased use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the justice system, particularly arbitration and mediation. Her scholarship has been published in journals including the Washington University Law Review, the UC Davis Law Review, and the Georgia Law Review. She is also co-author of Mediation: Law, Policy and Practice, the leading treatise in mediation, and of Dispute Resolution: Negotiation, Mediation and Other Processes, one of the country's leading dispute resolution casebooks. She is also a co-author of Discussions in Dispute Resolution: The Foundational Articles. Professor Cole has held numerous service and leadership positions. She is a member of the American Law Institute and an American Bar Foundation Fellow. Additionally, she is a steering member of the Divided Community Project at Moritz College of Law. Professor Cole received the 2022-23 ABA Section on Dispute Resolution Outstanding Scholarly Work Award. In 2022, she received the CPR Outstanding Article Award and the Outstanding Book Award.

George Crisci has practiced employment and labor law in both the public and private sectors for more than 30 years in a wide variety of subjects, including discrimination, retaliation and workplace harassment, unfair labor practices, collective bargaining, arbitrations, wrongful discharge, and enforcement of restrictive covenants. He has extensive experience at all levels before both the federal and state courts in Ohio, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Ohio State Employment Relations Board, and the National Labor Relations Board. He has also participated in more than one hundred arbitration hearings and negotiated numerous labor contracts in both the private and public sectors.
George has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by Best Lawyers® every year since 2011. He has been named a “Super Lawyer” every year since 2004. In 2012, George was inducted as a Fellow into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. He served as the Management Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Section’s Committee on State and Local Government Collective Bargaining from 2011 to 2014.

With a practice that spans traditional labor and employment in both the public and private sectors, Jenni Edwards is frequently called upon by senior executives to advise on high-stakes employment issues. Her strategic vision and creative problem-solving skills are an asset when negotiating collective bargaining agreements, developing litigation strategy and investigating complaints of misconduct, especially against C-suite members. Jenni excels in navigating the “gray areas” of the law and in helping clients develop common sense, business-focused plans for long-term compliance strategies, in litigation and arbitrations, throughout labor and settlement negotiations and in day-to-day employment issues.
Jenni has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® and by The Legal 500 for both her labor and employment practices. She is also a recognized leader for her work in advancing gender equity in the legal profession.
Jenni serves on the firm’s Diversity Council and as the Office Leader for the Columbus Inclusion and Diversity Committee. In these roles, she works with firm leadership to develop critical strategic initiatives, facilitates connections between and among her colleagues across the firm, and supports the advancement of the firm’s women and diverse attorneys as well as the associates in the Labor and Employment Group.

In 2011, Maurice J. Evans was appointed as the secretary/chief examiner for the Dayton Civil Service Board in Ohio.  Mr. Evans had previously served as a human resource analyst for Dayton, focusing on contract negotiations and labor arbitrations.   Maurice J. Evans was also accepted as a member of the Roster of Neutrals in Ohio.

Ms. Fernandez received her BA from The Ohio State University and a JD degree from the University of Akron School of Law. Professional memberships include the Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellow, LERA, and COLERA. Ms. Fernandez is a SERB neutral. She is an arbitration panel member with the AAA and FMCS. She also serves as a mediation panel member for the Office of Collective Bargaining and Ohio Civil Service Employees Association. Ms. Fernandez was a 30-year career attorney at the National Labor Relations Board, Region 8, Cleveland, Ohio. While there, she was a presenter at labor-related speaking engagements including OSBA programs as well as to employer organizations, labor organizations, and civic groups. During her tenure at the NLRB, she was also an adjunct labor law professor from 2011-2018 at the University of Akron School of Law and Cleveland Marshall School of Law.

Ms. Fiely served as an Associate General Counsel with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8, AFL-CIO since January, 2020 through February, 2024 and continues to work with them since her recent retirement on a contract basis.  

Prior to her time with Council 8, Ms. Fiely served as General Counsel with the Ohio Education Association from 2005 through 2019. Ms. Fiely was also employed as Associate General Counsel and General Counsel for AFSCME Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AFL-CIO for over seventeen years. Ms. Fiely has presented trainings on numerous topics, such as, arbitration, negotiations, civil service law, legislation, labor law, internal union, including union elections and officer responsibilities, and campaign finance issues.

Ms. Fiely graduated with a B.S. degree from Bowling Green State University and a J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Public Employees

Sandra Mendel Furman is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Ohio. Her undergraduate degree was earned at Brandeis University. Law school was Capital University. As a night student with a fulltime job, it was a long, four year slog. Her best 1L grade was in Contracts, so naturally that set her path as a labor arbitrator. Graduating/passing the Ohio Bar in 1979, she went directly to work at a public sector labor union: Ohio Council 8, AFSCME, AFL-CIO for 8 years. A two-year stint as in house counsel from 1992-94 at the Ohio Education Association grounded her in education law. For the gap periods Sandra worked as a solo practitioner. In 1997 she worked towards AAA/FMCS panel membership and achieved in it short order. Her practice is exclusively as a neutral: Fact finder/Conciliator; mediator; arbitrator.

Brett is a Regional Manager with Clemans Nelson, a member of Clemans Nelson’s Board of Directors, and serves as Corporate Secretary. He advises clients in human resource management, labor relations, contract negotiations, arbitration, regulatory compliance, discipline, and policy development. He has conducted training on a variety of human resource and labor relations issues, such as FMLA, drug and alcohol testing, discriminatory harassment, and discipline.

Brett received his J.D. from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and his B.A. from The Ohio State University in Criminology.

Janet M. Graham has over 28 years of legal experience in both private practice and government legal settings.  She  is licensed to practice in Kentucky state courts, the U.S. Districts Courts in the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.   She is certified as a mediator by the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts.  Additionally, she is a trained labor arbitrator and also is certified as a KRS 13B hearing officer.  Ms. Graham served in leadership roles in state and local government, having served as Assistant Deputy Attorney General under three Kentucky Attorneys General and also served as Law Commissioner for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
Ms. Graham is a 1987 graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry. She is a 1991 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, graduating with high distinction. She is also a member of the Order of the Coif, a legal honor society.

Thomas J. Nowel is a Member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Recent national chair, State and Local Public Sector Committee of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Member, Executive Committee, LERA Northeast, Ohio Chapter. Former Staff Representative, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 and Regional Director in Youngstown and Cincinnati Regions. Former Human Resources Director, Butler County Children Services. As a former advocate, presented over 200 arbitration cases and bargained over 200 collective bargaining agreements. As a Union advocate, presented the first fact finding case under the new Ohio law in 1984. FMCS Director's Award for Excellence in Labor Management Initiatives. Award of Excellence, National Public Employers' Labor Relations Association. Arbitrator, mediator and fact finder since 2009. Numerous permanent arbitration panels in public and private sectors. John Carroll University and postgraduate, University of Toledo. Offices in Ohio and Tampa, Florida.

Mark Gaston Pearce is an American lawyer, arbitrator, and university professor. He is best known for serving as a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Pearce was designated chairman of the board by President Barack Obama on August 28, 2011, and served as chairman until January 22, 2017.

In addition to his role at the NLRB, Mark Gaston Pearce is currently a visiting professor and the executive director of the Workers’ Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. He has a wealth of experience in labor and employment law. Before joining Georgetown, he was a visiting senior scholar and lecturer at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations.

Furthermore, Mr. Pearce serves as a panel labor arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). His expertise in labor matters extends to testifying before Congress and giving legal education presentations across the country.

 Arthur Pearlstein serves as Director of Arbitration and of the Office of Shared Neutrals at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). He has previously served FMCS as a mediator, as General Counsel of the Agency, and as head of the ADR and International Program. In addition, he has worked extensively in the area of dispute systems design in the workplace. He has substantial experience in arbitration and mediation as a private sector lawyer, manager, professor, and trainer. Arthur was Professor of Law and inaugural director of the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University in Omaha. He has authored or co-authored book chapters and articles on arbitration, workplace dispute resolution, dispute systems design, and human resources, and spoken widely on these and other topics. Arthur received his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, holds a master’s in dispute resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University in California, and a B.A. from Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

John is a graduate of Capital University Law School. His prior work experience includes the union-side labor law firm of Cloppert, Latanick, Sauter & Washburn in Columbus, Ohio and Eufinger Law Office in Marysville, Ohio.  During law school John was employed at the offices of the Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Secretary of State. John is a member of the AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance.

Bob Sauter is a founding partner of Cloppert, Latanick Sauter & Washburn.  He practices primarily in the area of public sector labor. Bob has represented clients as counsel in several cases before the Ohio Supreme Court involving the Ohio Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act (issues involving strikes, appropriate topics of bargaining, constitutionality of interest arbitration for strike-prohibited employees, and unfair labor practice charges) and public records issues. Bob is a frequent lecturer regarding labor and employment topics. Bob’s publications include three Law Review articles dealing with Ohio Civil Service law and the Ohio Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act.

Arbitrator and Attorney, Columbus, Ohio. Member of the FMCS panel and qualified for federal sector cases. AAA panel member. Experienced arbitrator in matters involving law enforcement officers, firefighters, public school teachers, health care professionals, and correctional institution issues.

Former union-side labor lawyer. Represented labor organizations in numerous arbitrations regarding a wide range of employment issues. Represented individual public school teachers, law enforcement officers, health care workers, and corrections officers. Represented labor organizations in their capacity as an employer in federal court litigation filed under Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA, as well as claims under Section 301 of the LMRA.

Current independent hearing officer for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

B.A. Muskingum College; J.D. Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Alan A. Symonette is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Villanova University School of Law. He is a former NLRB field attorney and in-house labor counsel. Currently, he is a permanent arbitrator under several national agreements including many in telecommunications, airlines, steel, and tire. In the public sector, he is the arbitrator at Tennessee Valley Authority (Power), at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, among others. His work in Major League baseball is also highly regarded. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and a fellow of the ABA College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Lisa W. Timmons, Esq. has over two decades of experience in alternative dispute resolution. She is the chair-elect of the ADR Section of the Michigan State Bar, Executive Director of the Mediation Tribunal Association, and serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and case evaluator of labor, employment, and commercial cases with AAA, FMCS, FINRA, and several state arbitration and mediation boards.

Timmons is on the advisory council of SheResolves, a member of Professional Resolution Experts of Michigan (PREMi), Michigan Regional Chair of Women in Dispute Resolution (WIDR), and Chair of the ADR Section of the Wolverine Bar Association. She maintains memberships with LERA, the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals, ArbitralWomen, and the Labor Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Misty D. Waller joined the Department of Public Safety as the Director of Law Enforcement Recruitment in November of 2023. She did so after retiring with 25 years of service with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Misty joined the Patrol as a member of the 131 st Academy Class, in 1998. As a Trooper, she served at the Mt. Gilead, Circleville, and West Jefferson posts, as well as the Patrol’s Training Academy. Misty reached the rank of Lieutenant and served as the Commander in the Office of Recruitment and Diversity. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Ashland University.

Cory began his career as a fire fighter in the Air Force where he served four years in Charleston SC. After his enlistment, he was hired by Coshocton Fire Department. He served as IAFF Local 216 Secretary / Treasurer for ten years alongside his father, who was the local President. Following his father's retirement in 2014, he was elected President, and served as such until January of this year. Cory is still employed with the CFD and serves at the rank of Captain.  Organized labor quickly became a passion and advocating for fire fighters was something he fell in love with. He decided to run for elected office in the state fire fighter’s union when a vacancy occurred and in 2016, was elected as the 3rd District Vice President. The District he represents consists of sixty-three locals, spanning across fifteen counties in Northeast Ohio. In 2022, upon being re-elected as Third District Vice President, he was also elected as the state’s First Vice President, where he serves directly under the OAPFF President representing over 12,500 Ohio fire fighters. He also serves as an International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Service Representative and has organized several new IAFF Locals across the state. Cory has bargained many successor collective bargaining agreements, represented members during disciplinary cases, arbitrations, fact findings and conciliations. He likes to describe himself as an all-around sounding board for local Presidents as they navigate fire fighter related issues.