Board President Mary Bissell earned a BA from Yale College and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She is the founding partner of ChildFocus, a consulting firm that assists nonprofit organizations and government agencies serving children. Mary has served as a Fellow at the New America Foundation, a senior staff attorney and lobbyist at the Children’s Defense Fund, a Heinz Fellow and Legislative Assistant for Senator John Rockefeller, and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Youth Law.

Mary joined the board in part because she understands that Negotiation Works is critical in providing individuals with the basic ingredients they need to become effective advocates for themselves and their communities. Once individuals learn these skills, they can apply them to every aspect of their lives with transformative results.

Mary also wanted to be a part of Negotiation Works as she, like everyone, struggles with how to resolve conflict and find a pathway forward. She appreciates Negotiation Works' commitment to ensure that everyone has agency over the decisions they make and the outcomes of their lives.

She also understands that communities are at their best when people can communicate clearly, interact with reason and respect, and move past difficulties to get to a compromise with which everyone can live. Negotiation Works meets everyone where they are and gives them the tools they need to settle differences and move past conflict to build strong relationships over the long term.

Mary states “You can't always control how things turn out, but you can control how you show up. Negotiation Works helps people show up as the strongest version of themselves.”