As the current President of our Board of Directors and a long-time mediator, Ron Niesing brings a wealth of experience to his duties with the Mediation Center.  He spent 36 years working for the Social Security Administration in many capacities and 12 years with the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) as a Benefit and Medicare Outreach Specialist.  His connection with the ADRC continues as a volunteer driver for Homebound Meals each week.  Ron has served on various boards, including Curative, Bay Area Youth Hockey, Vision of Race Unity, and he was president of both regional and national management associations while with the Social Security Administration.  Three interesting assignments in Washington, DC, including 9 months as a Congressional Legis Fellow, gave Ron some interesting perspectives on the needs of social service agencies regarding budgeting and legislative needs.  He was a coach for Odyssey of the Mind and a Cub Scout leader. 

Ron sums up his time with the Mediation Center as follows:  I find mediating to be one of the most rewarding volunteer activities that I have done.  I started out doing landlord/tenant and small claims cases.  I have been doing family mediation since the inception of that program.  If you want to make a positive difference in the lives of the folks we serve, join our mediation team.  Regardless of your background, if you enjoy working with people, you can be a mediator.

I have been a mediator with the Mediation Center since I went through training in 2007, the fall after I retired from a career in teaching. Mediating has been a valuable and rewarding experience.

I grew up in Fort Atkinson, WI, but I have lived in Green Bay for the past 50+ years. We raised our sons here, whether they both went to the high school at which I taught. It was a wonderful experience for all of us – to see education from outside of our own perspectives. Our boys are now adults, raising our fabulous four grandchildren in Minneapolis and Madison.

As a high school teacher, I had a lot of experience in helping students and staff resolve differences in a way that helped the parties find a solution they could both live with, and in that process, keep their dignity. That is truly what mediation is. It’s not the mediator “solving” the issue. Rather, it’s helping the parties understand the position and situation of each other, and helping them find a resolution that they can both live with.

Mediation is an effective way to resolve disputes. The process gives all of the parties the opportunity to fully explain the issue from their point of view, and most often, come up with solutions that satisfy their needs. There are no “winners” and “losers”, as is often the case in a court outcome. Rather, the parties walk away with a sense of fairness on both sides.

Mediation helps our community by freeing up court time for other cases, and by giving parties a chance to resolve their differences to their mutual agreement. I’m proud to be a mediator.