President

MARISELA MADDOX is a licensed Texas attorney and credentialed mediator. She is committed to a party-driven, mediator-facilitated approach to mediation. Marisela volunteers with three Dispute Resolutions Centers in Central Texas.  Marisela holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas School of Law, and a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Mediation from Tel Aviv University. In addition, to mediation she manages the largest online store for imported Japanese sake, a business she started with her husband over a decade ago.

Immediate President of the Board

LORI HOADLEY received her advanced mediation training from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016 while pursuing her honors undergraduate degree in psychology. She was a volunteer at the UT Conflict Resolution Center, helping students with Judicial Services referrals and Title IX issues. A member of the Austin Mediation Association since 2017, she hopes to help promote mediation in Austin's diverse community. Lori is the Senior Operations Coordinator at Brighter Bites in Austin, a non-profit that provides nutrition education in elementary schools. 

Secretary

MARGARET (MOLLY) ALTIZER, owner of Avid Mediation, is a mediator with a decade of experience both in New York and Texas. She is a member of the Texas Association of Mediators. Molly holds a master’s degree in journalism from The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, where she honed the skills of investigative reporting and information gathering. She taught journalism and English in colleges and universities in Arizona, Texas, and New York for more than 30 years. In her volunteer work in New York, Molly spent more than 100 hours mediating in the courts and communities in Ronkonkoma and Southold through her work with the Long Island Conflict and Dispute Resolution Center. Her current mediation practice concentrates on the areas of family mediation related to divorce, parent planning, and elder care. She can be contacted through Avid Mediation’s website: www.chooseavid.com.

Treasurer

CLAY AVERY is licensed to practice law in Texas, but chooses to focus on using mediation as a primary means for conflict resolution. With over 100+ hours of mediation experience, Clay is a strong believer in the Community-Based approach to collaborative problem solving. He is an active volunteer mediator at the Austin Dispute Resolution Center in addition to coaching future mediators during the 40-hour basic mediator training. In 2018, Clay helped implement the first online dispute resolution system used in a Travis County court. Clay holds a BBA from Texas Christian University and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law.

Past President of the Board

LINDA GIBSON has been helping people resolve conflict for more than four decades. She is a retired teacher and guidance counselor, and is also a licensed attorney. She limits her practice to mediation, rather than litigation, because she firmly believes people can find their own best solutions to their problems, rather than trusting in judges and juries to make important decisions for them. Linda is a TMCA Credentialed Advanced Mediator and is a member of the Association of Attorney Mediators. She has been very active in the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM) for many years, including serving as the TAM President in 2004. She is currently the Historian on the TAM board. The Texas Association of Mediators honored Linda with the Susanne C. Adams Award in 2015 “for exceptional and outstanding efforts in promoting and furthering the use of mediation” in Texas.

STEVE SCHULWOLF is an attorney with over 25 years of litigation experience. Steve represented clients in trial and appellate courts in numerous jurisdictions throughout the country and advised clients at mediations of several multi-million dollar matters. After practicing at a large firm Steve taught at a law school in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. After returning to the U.S. he founded Michaels, Schulwolf & Salerno (formerly Michaels & May) where he served as the managing shareholder. Steve has transitioned to mediation where he has a passion for assisting parties in resolving their disputes or, at the very least, better understanding their litigation risks.