Cathy Smith

Cathy Smith Cathy Smith brings 30 years of professional experience blending journalism, public involvement, communications, conflict management, and partnership development. She has worked with the interrelated subject matter that impacts quality of life and resiliency, including land use, transportation, water, energy, economic revitalization, social justice, and health. After building and leading a communications and engagement ... Read more

Megan Soares

Megan Soares, NCRC team member specializing in conflict resolution
Megan Soares Megan studied International Security and Conflict Resolution at San Diego State University, with a focus on Conflict, Cooperation, and Conflict Resolution. While earning her degree she worked in open-source intelligence for a U.S.-based intelligence & security agency, as well as in communications for a San Diego-based refugee non-profit. Through her non-profit experience, Megan ... Read more

Melanie Stanek

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Melanie Stanek Melanie Stanek is a San Diego-based educator, program designer, and teaching artist with roots in the American South and the East Coast. Before moving to San Diego, Melanie served with the United States Peace Corps in Madagascar, where she taught English as a foreign language and developed after-school enrichment programs. She is trained ... Read more

Craddock Stropes

Craddock Stropes Profile – NCRC
Craddock Stropes Craddock Stropes (she/her) is a facilitator, mentor, and trainer with more than 25 years of experience in the corporate, local government, and nonprofit sectors. Using compassion, creativity, and clarity, she specializes in guiding teams toward inclusive, strategic, and tangible solutions that make everyday lives better. Her work draws from her broad experiences in ... Read more

Alexa Toth

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Alexa Toth Alexandria Toth is a trainer and mediator with NCRC’s Training Institute. She also works in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) as a Registered Behavioral Technician. In SDUSD, she assists youth who need additional support in building prosocial skills by equipping them through interpersonal learning techniques and facilitating mediation in natural-world situations. ... Read more

Jackie Wong

Portrait of Jackie Wong, featured by NCRC
Jacqualine "Jackie" Wong After graduating from UC San Diego with a BS in biology and her master’s in education, Jacqualine Wong spent the next 9 years teaching in public and independent schools. During her last few years in the K12 world, she had the opportunity to unofficially mentor new teachers and share information she gathered ... Read more

Harvey C. Berger, Esq.

Harvey C. Berger, Esq. Contact Case Manager Download CV “He’s described by fellow litigators as a straight shooter, thoughtful, someone you can take at his word. The kind of lawyer you’d want fighting for you.” – Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune (2013) In addition to over a decade serving as a mediator and arbitrator, Harvey ... Read more

James J. Brown, Esq.

James J. Brown, Esq. Contact Case Manager Download CV For over three decades Mr. Brown has litigated hundreds of trust, probate, conservatorship, and guardianship disputes, including cases involving will and trust contests, breach of fiduciary duty and surcharge matters, financial elder abuse claims, and contested conservatorships and guardianships. In such cases, he has represented "all ... Read more