Building International Mediation: Impact on Peacemaking in New York City

Building International Mediation: Impact on Peacemaking in New York City on ICERM Radio aired on March 19, 2016.

In this episode, Brad Heckman talks about his years promoting peace abroad and how his experience working in many countries has contributed to the development of mediation and other conflict resolution programs in New York City.

Brad Heckman is the Chief Executive Officer of New York Peace Institute, one of the largest community mediation services globally.

Brad Heckman is also an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, where he received the Excellence in Teaching Award.  He serves on the boards of the National Association for Community Mediation, the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, and was a founding Trustee of the New York City Peace Museum. Brad has trained labor unions, the NYPD, NASA, community organizations, United Nations programs, emerging women leaders in the Persian Gulf, and corporations in more than twenty countries. His trainings are known for their incorporation of his own illustrations, pop culture, humor and theater, as can be seen in his TEDx Talk, Mindfully Getting in the Middle.

Brad’s interest in promoting peaceful dialogue began while he was teaching at a University in Poland in 1989, witnessing the transition from Soviet rule to democracy through round-table negotiations. Brad was previously a Vice President of Safe Horizon, a leading victims services and violence prevention agency, where he oversaw their Mediation, Families of Homicide Victims, Legal Services, Anti-Trafficking, Batterers Intervention, and Anti-Stalking Programs. He also served as International Director of Partners for Democratic Change, where he helped develop the first mediation centers in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union and Latin America. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, TimeOut New York, NASH Radio, Telemundo, Univision and other media outlets.

Brad received a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Dickinson College.