Barbara Filner has been the director of training for NCRC since 1984. She has a master's degree in teaching from Indiana University and has worked as a teacher, a labor union official, and an analyst in local and state government. She has designed and conducted workshops on mediation and conflict resolution in the workplace in both the United States and Europe. She has lived in Pakistan, India, and Egypt, and thus brings a multicultural perspective to this book. She has also co-written two books about culture and conflict, Conflict Resolution Across Cultures (Diversity Resources) and Meditation Across Cultures (Amherst Educational Publishing).

Steven P. Dinkin is president of NCRC. He received his law degree from George Washington University, where he taught a mediation clinic as an adjunct law professor. He has also taught mediation courses in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. For several years with the Center for Dispute Settlement in Washington, DC, Steve served as an employment and workplace mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal agencies. In 2003 he moved to San Diego to lead NCRC. His experience managing a talented and opinionated staff has contributed to the realism of this book.

Lisa Maxwell has traveled all over the world as a senior trainer for NCRC, a position she has held for almost 20 years. She has trained people in The Exchange, and in mediation in general, in Mexico and other Latin American countries, as well as in Latino communities in the United States. Lisa has a master's degree in education from San Diego State University and has developed curricula and taught courses at the high school and university levels. Lisa has worked with businesses, with the military, and with nonprofit organizations on finding creative and effective ways to manage conflicts.