Welcome to a special issue of the Mesites Foundation Newsletter

In this Issue

	The Fourth Thursday Lecture Series Presents: Lynn Hamilton Cole, Esq.
	Download a PDF version of the event flyer

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The Fourth Thursday Lecture Series Presents: Lynn Hamilton Cole, Esq.

Bleary-eyed and groggy from her 22-hour flight, Lynn Cole turns to face the window, watching the airplane’s descent. Mountain peaks rise up to meet her, a wall of granite stretching along the skyline on both sides of the small aircraft, almost close enough to touch. Suddenly, a valley emerges in the distance, where she can see the airport runway, and beyond that, a city gleaming with gold-domed cathedrals. The plane touches down on the tarmac, shuddering to a halt. Cole gathers her bags and moves slowly down the metal stairway, bracing herself against the cold Balkan winds. At last, she has arrived at her destination – Sofia, Bulgaria. Lynn Cole has not traveled this far for a mere vacation; she is here on a mission.

Cole is a mediation specialist based in Florida, where she works to resolve disputes between parties outside of a courtroom environment. Though her practice was thriving, Cole wanted to do meaningful work; something that could make a difference to an entire community of people. She sought out a volunteer opportunity that could accomplish this goal, and decided on the American Bar Association’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) program in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, an Eastern European country slated to join the European Union this year, was at a crossroads when Cole arrived in 2005. Cole assisted the country with its transition by collaborating with talented Bulgarian lawyers to establish a national mediation program, the Bulgarian Mediation Act. During her time in Sofia, she also worked to establish mediation centers in Bulgaria, and conducted advanced training in mediation for local attorneys.

Last year, Cole helped to establish another mediation program, this time in Jordan – the first such program to exist in the Middle East. Cole also helped to establish mediation centers throughout the country, worked to train arbitrators and judges in conflict resolution practices, and established a mediation program for Arab women. Cole claims that mediation is valuable not only to the legal community, but to society at large. “Ultimately,” she says, “mediation empowers a nation.”

Lynn Cole will share stories of her international peacekeeping experiences at 4:30 PM, January 25th, in the Eddy Theatre at Chatham College. A series subscription is $50; individual tickets are $20. The events are free to students, faculty and staff from any Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE) member school. To register, contact Tammy Warner at twarner@chatham.edu or 412-365-1516.

Download a PDF version of the event flyer

You can download a PDF version of the event flyer from the Mesites Foundation website by clicking here.