Ferguson, Missouri Grand Jury Decision Due Any Time

NSU Home to Conflict Resolution Expert Who Can Provide Insight for Media on How Such Situations Can/Should be Addressed

Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – No matter what people may believe about the events that occurred – and continue to occur – in Ferguson, Missouri, one thing everyone agrees on is that there has been a great deal of conflict. To that end, Nova Southeastern University is home to an expert in the area of conflict resolution – and she can help media who are working stories that involve the ongoing conflict in Ferguson.

Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., is associate professor of conflict resolution and community studies, the chair of NSU’s Department of Multidisciplinary Studies (DMS) and the director of community resolution services (CRS) at NSU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS). McKay has been professionally involved in conflict resolution for more than 30 years as a mediator, arbitrator, negotiator, facilitator, trainer, executive and conflict coach, dispute systems designer, researcher and professor. She has consulted for private, civic, religious and community organizations. She has extensive experience working with the media on various stories, having been interviewed for radio and television regarding conflicts in neighborhoods, families and organizations.

McKay is a trainer and presenter, with frequently requested topics including: Conflict and Change in Organizations, Conflict and Crisis Communication; Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Health Care; Leadership Challenges; Strategic Community Planning, Chaos Theory in Organizations; Workplace Conflict; What Health Care Providers Need to Know about Domestic and Family Violence; Workplace Communication and Conflict Resolution; and Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Religious Organizations. She has been involved in training a variety of professionals, including therapists, attorneys, teachers, mediators, conflict resolution specialists, community leaders, organizational leaders, health care professionals, clergy, and law enforcement officers.

The current focus of her research is in the areas of Conflict Coaching, Organizational Conflict and Change, Family Violence Prevention and Intervention;  Lessons from Our Seniors; and Community Development. Her chapter entitled, “The Scholarship of Engagement: Transforming Communities and Organizations through Practicum and other Collaborative Projects” was published in the book, Conflict Resolution and the Scholarship of Engagement:  Partnerships Transforming Conflict.  (2012 Edited by C.L. Duckworth and C.D. Kelley).

McKay has a bachelor’s degree in history from The American University, a master’s degree in education with a specialty in student personnel services from Kean University; a Juris Doctorate from the School of Law at Emory University, where she received the ATLA Outstanding Student Litigator Award; and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from NSU.

* Media interested in talking with Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D. are urged to contact the
NSU Public Affairs contact listed below to make those arrangements. *

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About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is an independent, not-for-profit institution with 26,000 students at campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

About NSU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS): Appying a holistic, relational perspective to the challenges facing individuals, families, organizations, communities, and nations, NSU’s SHSS trains its students to seek collaborative, creative, and equitable means for resolving social issues through residential, online and hybrid courses. In addition SHSS provides students global courses in locations such as China, Ecuador, Ireland and Suriname and through practicum opportunities at NSU and in local communities. SHSS has been home to 15 Fulbright Scholars as graduate students or faculty. There are three academic departments: Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (DCAR); Department of Family Therapy (DFT); and the Department of Multidisciplinary Studies (DMS). For more information, please visit http://shss.nova.edu/

Media Contact
Joe Donzelli | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-2159 (office)
jdonzelli@nova.edu