JENNIFER SUZOR
Jennifer Suzor is an experienced and Accredited Family, Child Protection and Elder Mediator and Trainer based in Windsor, Ontario. She is also a recognized Mediator on the Saskatchewan Early Resolution roster. Having practiced family law at all levels of the Court, she now focuses on neutral consultation and mediation. She is committed to training family mediators and is a frequent speaker at conferences. As the co-developer of Family Mediation Training Canada she has trained throughout Canada and now, via the online platform made available due to the pandemic, for many individuals across the country. Previously, Jennifer also developed and taught the Advanced Mediation Course at York University and is a frequent lecturer at Windsor Law School.
People who have taken this training consistently rate Jennifer’s training ability at 100% effective in what she does. Many have commented that the experience of training was “life changing”.
Jennifer practiced family law since 1988 and was Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Family Law in 2004. She served as the President of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation from 2013 to 2018.
Jennifer is also on the Board of Directors for Windsor Life Centre, a Woman’s Addiction Treatment Centre and the Past-President of the Autism Society of Ontario (Windsor) and the Summit Centre for Preschoolers with Autism.
in 2016, Jennifer received the President’s Award from the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts, Ontario Chapter, in recognition of her volunteer work as Co-Chair of the Walsh Family Negotiation Competition and her vision of creating a series of events in Windsor called “Changing the Culture of Conflict Resolution in Family Breakdown Roundtable Dinner Series” for the Judiciary, Counsel, Psychologists, Social Workers and others who work with family breakdown in Windsor. She is the President of Bridging Family Conflict, the service provider in Windsor for the Ministry of Attorney General subsidized mediation and information services.
Jennifer can be reached at jsuzor@familylawspecialist.ca or at 519-252-2772. Please see www.familylawspecialist.ca for more information about Jennifer’s Mediation practice.
Vicky Visca
Vicky Visca has been a Family Mediator for over 35 years. She received her Accreditation with the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM) in 1997 and she has been a Child Protection Mediator since 2006. Vicky has designation as an Open Adoption Specialist. Vicky is currently the Vice-President of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and she is the Chair of the Child Protection Committee for OAFM.
Vicky is a provincially approved instructor for Child Protection Mediation training and she is also an instructor for Family Mediation. She provides consultative and training services to other Family and Child Protection Mediators as well as in-service training to a multitude of child welfare and mental health agencies throughout the province in relation to Child Protection and Family Mediation.
Vicky has contracts with the Ministry of the Attorney General for the provision of On-Site and Off-Site Mediation, Information and Referral Coordination and Mandatory Information Programs for Kingston and the Quinte Region.
Elizabeth Sterritt
Jared completed his Master of Social Work Degree at the University of Toronto with a specialization in Child, Youth, and Families. He holds certificates in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Advanced Family Mediation, and has specialized training in therapeutic interventions and addictions work, including process addictions such as problem gambling and gaming. Jared is a private practice clinician with extensive experience working in the field of high conflict separation and divorce. Beyond his clinical practice he serves on the clinical panel with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, and provides court connected family mediation with Mediate393. He is also a speaker and trainer on the topics of family and individual mental health, and has taught domestically and internationally on the topics of mediation and parenting coordination.
Jared is a former associate at Riverdale Mediation, and has practiced at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Frontenac Youth Services, and the Distress Centre of Toronto. He has conducted Section 34 YCJA assessments for youth in conflict with the law, and has also conducted assessment for The Arson Prevention Program for Children (TAPP-C).
LENE MADSEN
We acknowledge with gratitude the Honourable Justice Lene Madsen. She was a founding partner in Family Mediation Training and co-creator of our training modules. Lene was an experienced mediation and trainer based in London, Ontario, where her practice, Bluewater Mediation, was devoted to family mediation, arbitration, teaching and training in alternative dispute resolution, and academic writing on issues related to family law and dispute resolution.
Lene was an Accredited Member of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators, a Certified Family Arbitrator (ADRIO), and a Child Protection Mediator (OAFM). She holds a Masters of Laws in Alternate Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School, in addition to her LLB. Lene is past Adjunct Faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she taught an advanced seminar in Family Law.
Lene had diverse professional experience, both in Canada and internationally, which enriched and informed all aspects of her teaching and practice. She has worked in post-war Bosnia, facilitating collaborative processes between agencies and communities, and in the international development context, in South Asia and the Caribbean.
Lene published on a range of issues, including on issues related to family law, family mediation standards and programs, and screening for power imbalances and domestic violence. Lene spoke and presented extensively on topics related to family law and mediation.
At the time of her appointment, Lene was the Vice Chair of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM), where she was also Chair of the Accreditation Committee. She was also a Board Member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC-O).
Lene’s appointment to the Bench was a great asset to the Province of Ontario as she is a knowledgeable, dynamic, and passionate trainer who offered students a rich learning experience, which merges the practical with the theoretical, ensuring participants have the required foundation to excel in their mediation and dispute resolution practices. Lene will remain a Guest Presenter at the training courses. Her contribution to the excellence in training that we have is immeasurable.
