Our Team

Founder and Executive Director Melissa Reinberg grew up in Dallas, Texas. Her background includes work as a poverty lawyer, law professor, community mediator, and teacher, all of which have given her a unique perspective from which to develop and lead Negotiation Works. Melissa received an AB from Cornell University and a JD from Harvard Law School. After law school, Melissa served as a Prettyman Fellow at Georgetown Law, where she represented clients in juvenile delinquency and adult criminal cases and earned an LL.M in Advocacy. She then worked as a civil legal services lawyer, first as a staff attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services Program and then as the Legal Director for the Legal Aid Society of DC, where she represented clients in family, landlord-tenant, and public benefits cases. For 17 years, Melissa taught a simulation-based Negotiation and Mediation seminar as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. And since 2002, Melissa has served as a mediator in a wide variety of legal disputes, including criminal cases and civilian police complaints through the Center for Dispute Settlement, and family, small claims, and truancy cases as a community mediator with DC Superior Court’s Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division. In 2017, Melissa began volunteering at Calvary Women’s Services, a transitional housing program in the Anacostia neighborhood of D.C., teaching an 8-week Negotiation Strategies program she designed specifically for the Calvary residents. The women’s reactions to the classes were compelling: as they struggled with homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues, they also reported that they found immediate applications of the negotiation strategies to their lives, such as when weighing job offers, addressing roommate issues, or making overtures to estranged family members. Melissa, feeling privileged to be a witness to the women’s restored sense of dignity, control, and productivity, taught the negotiations course several times as a volunteer and then decided to test the waters to see if individuals from other marginalized communities in the Washington, DC area would also benefit from these critical skills. From there, Negotiation Works was born. Together with volunteer co-instructors, Melissa has led Negotiation Works’ multi-week Negotiation Strategies programs at Calvary Women’s Services, Reach Up, Georgetown University’s Pivot Program, Together We Bake, the District Alliance for Safe Housing, My Sister’s Place, Southeast Ministry, Community Family Life Services, Friends of Guest House, and the D.C. Jail. To Melissa, the present time seems like the right moment to spread these programs throughout our society; the economic, social, and health disruptions of the pandemic add more uncertainties and pressures to individuals who are already struggling to maintain stability, and the most recent racial justice movement has created momentum for meaningful societal change. What does that momentum look like on a day-to-day basis at Negotiation Works? When class participants share their stories of how they used negotiation strategies to achieve positive outcomes in their own lives, Melissa feels a bit more confident that together, we can overcome adversity, resolve many of our differences, self-advocate to gain what we need, and--most important-- build a stronger, more resilient society.

Program And Communications Coordinator David Schultz grew up in the Northern Virginia area and then moved to Washington DC. David has spent the majority of his career working in healthcare administration for hospitals in the DC area. While incarcerated, David took part in a number of educational programs, including the UNICOR apprenticeship program. He also completed the Paralegal Certification course through Adam State University. David joined the Georgetown University Pivot Program for new educational and networking opportunities, and he enjoyed learning alongside individuals with similar backgrounds. While enrolled in the Pivot Program, he took the Negotiation Works class, which he found to be extremely useful for learning how to better advocate for himself and how to resolve disagreements more effectively. During his time with Pivot, David also worked as an intern with the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice. In his internship, he helped the Douglass Project boost their social media presence, and he also conducted various research and communication projects, including projects related to funding through grants. After completing the Pivot Program, David realized he wanted to focus his employment efforts on helping others like himself by working with a local non-profit organization. Negotiation Works was a perfect fit for him, especially since he had come to appreciate the importance of learning new strategies for resolving conflicts and being one’s own advocate. He believes the Negotiation Works program will have a great impact within the DMV area. With current crime rates in Washington DC at an all time high, David believes it is key to introduce people to alternative solutions to solving problems. David is excited to be part of the Negotiation Works team and to play a significant role in giving people the tools and the skills to have more positive outcomes. He believes that teaching these alternatives to conflict resolution will not only help individual people learn how to communicate better but will also help to strengthen ties in the community as a whole. In his free time, David enjoys swimming, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. His father and sister both currently reside in northern Virginia, and he enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews.

Iris Barnett grew up in Brooklyn, NY. She studied Philosophy at SUNY Binghamton and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. After completing law school, Iris worked on behalf of Native American children and families in Juneau, Alaska, and, since 2002, has worked as a Guardian ad Litem and education attorney in D.C. Superior Court. She has been mediating child protection cases through D.C. Superior Court’s Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division since the early 2000s. Iris began teaching negotiation at Calvary Women’s Services in November 2018. She loves working at Calvary because the ladies there inspire her by their awesome willingness to engage, and they contribute valuable experiences that help us solve our everyday problems more effectively.

Sarah Siu-May Batcheller grew up in Springfield, Virginia. She earned a B.A. in English Education and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, both from George Mason University. She has experience teaching college English courses and coordinating and editing digital content. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah was looking for new ways to give back to the community. When she found Negotiation Works through online research, she reached out and asked how she could help the organization. Since then, Sarah has provided volunteer consulting services on Negotiation Works’ digital learning content and completed the instructor training, and she is currently helping to coordinate the Ambassador Newsletter. Sarah believes many people face challenges they don't deserve, due to broken systems. She enjoys being part of the Negotiation Works volunteer team because it uplifts, empowers, and supports community members.

Susan Borke grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has lived in the Washington, DC, area for most of her life. She received her undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Susan has over 30 years of experience working in television finance at CBS, for a private law firm, and as in-house counsel at National Geographic. She now runs her own business providing negotiation skills training and consulting to individuals and organizations. Susan volunteers with Negotiation Works because she is passionate about helping people develop as effective negotiators. She believes no one is born a master negotiator and that great negotiation skills come from a combination of knowledge, training, and practice. Susan joined Negotiation Works as a volunteer instructor in July 2021 and is an inaugural trainer for the men's and women's programs at the DC Jail. In teaching these negotiation classes, Susan has seen firsthand that the Negotiation Works curriculum speaks to the people who participate in its programs and that all participants learn something they can use to make their lives better. She particularly enjoys hearing how the participants use the skills they've learned to negotiate more effectively for themselves and others. About her experience volunteering at Negotiation Works, Susan says, “I am so proud to be able to contribute to that process."

Sarah Hall grew up in Blacksburg, VA. She attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree and loved Charlottesville so much that she stayed for law school. She started her legal career in private practice, and now she is an attorney with the federal government. Sarah was eager to join Negotiation Works as a volunteer instructor because the role involves three components she enjoys: negotiating, teaching, and working with people who inspire her (staff, volunteers, and students!). Sarah has taught at Together We Bake since early 2021. She loves the role plays because they allow the participants both to be silly and to practice their new skills in relevant situations. Sarah feels empowered after each session, learning from and with the students.

Kathryn Menefee grew up in Fort Worth, TX. She received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Georgetown Law. Currently, Kathryn is a legal fellow at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. Kathryn has been involved with Negotiation Works since 2019. Initially drawn to Negotiation Works’ mission and opportunity to teach, Kathryn has taught at Together We Bake, Reach Up, Calvary Women’s Services, and Friends of Guest House. She greatly enjoys helping participants work through disputes in their own lives. It is exciting when they tell her they’ve applied the negotiation concepts to their own life situations and found them to be effective!

Eleanor Newberg grew up in Albany, NY. She received a B.S. in Mathematics from Stony Brook University and is currently a student at Georgetown Law. Ellie began volunteering with Negotiation Works in the fall of 2020 and has taught at Friends of Guest House. She enjoys that no two classes are the same — participants come up with unique and thought-provoking answers during every session.

Derek O’Leary grew up in Boston. He studied French and Political Science at Amherst College and then received an M.A. in International Relations and Conflict Resolution at Tufts University and a PhD in U.S. and World History from the University of California, Berkeley. Derek, a practicing historian with a focus on 19th century U.S. history, teaches history at the University of South Carolina. He believes that negotiation is an essential skill set and mentality that we can all apply in different aspects of our lives. Derek taught with the Georgetown Pivot Program in 2020-2021. He enjoys learning from his students who sometimes see situations differently from how he sees them.

Sofia Pignataro has been a Volunteer Data Analyst with Negotiation Works since January 2021. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has two Bachelor's degrees, one in Marketing, from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and one in Statistics, from the Brazilian National School of Statistical Sciences. Sofia has worked in advanced analytics for five years, helping companies monitor and improve their processes and services. In Brazil, Sofia worked as a Data Science Analyst at Accenture, and she is currently based out of New Jersey, where she works in the Analytical Solutions Consulting team at Ciena, extracting strategic information from telecom data to obtain optimized network migration plans. Sofia was drawn to Negotiation Works not only because volunteering as a data analyst lets her apply data analysis skills to improving people’s lives, but also because she loves the organization’s mission to empower individuals so they can advocate for themselves and others around them. Sofia enjoys measuring the impact of Negotiation Works’ programs and producing reports to communicate those results, and she hopes that doing so will allow more people to learn about the benefits of Negotiation Works’ programs. Sofia truly believes that the best way to help society is to give tools and confidence to individuals so they can be the agents of change in their own lives - and she thinks Negotiation Works does both of these pretty well!

Pam Schwartz grew up in Wilmington, DE. She earned her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University and her law degree from George Washington University. Pam worked for many years at the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a patent examiner. During those years, she was a federal labor organization representative and negotiator. In 2021, President Biden appointed Pam to the Federal Services Impasses Panel. As a Panel member, Pam will resolve impasses between federal agencies and unions representing federal employees. Pam loves that Negotiation Works help people by teaching them ways to communicate more effectively, which is a skill they can use in their everyday lives. Pam has been teaching at Together We Bake since the beginning of 2020. She enjoys the interactive classes and watching participants gain confidence as they practice applying their new skills.

Khiran Sidhu grew up in Western Maryland. She completed her undergraduate degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park and earned a J.D. from Columbia University. An attorney since 2008, Khiran’s practice focuses on investigations in the securities and financial services industry. She has also represented clients in immigration matters on a pro bono basis. Through her legal training and mentorship from skilled communicators and negotiators, Khiran has learned strategies and techniques that help her resolve personal and professional conflicts. Khiran started volunteering with Negotiation Works in the fall of 2020 and, since then, has taught at both Trinity Arms and Friends of Guest House. Khiran appreciates the insightful contributions of the class participants that teach her new ways of looking at negotiation. She is thrilled to be a part of a dynamic and thoughtful organization that teaches an essential skill set in a respectful and understanding environment.

Sherri Smith grew up in a small town near Charlotte, NC. She received a BS in Criminology, Law, and Society from George Mason University and a BS in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sherri is currently a Program Officer with D.C. Superior Court’s Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division, where she manages the mediation programs for the Court’s Landlord & Tenant and Probate cases. Sherri, an experienced teacher, joined Negotiation Works in early 2019 as a volunteer instructor. She believes that negotiation skills are a life-changing set of skills that everyone — but especially the most vulnerable people in our communities — should develop. Sherri has taught Negotiation Works classes at the District Alliance for Safe Housing and for members of The WIRE. She loves helping the participants interact with and internalize the course material, and she finds it particularly rewarding to watch as the lessons resonate with the class participants and they begin strategizing ways to use these skills in their own situations. Sherri equates the ability and willingness to negotiate and advocate for oneself with realized personhood. She hopes that by teaching these skills, we are helping people learn, relearn, or remember that they have worth.

Charles Hopkins grew up in Southeast D.C. He received his A.A. degree in political science from Coppin State College. Charles worked as a residential social worker for Veterans on the Rise, and he also completed Georgetown’s Pivot Program, where he took the Negotiation Works class.. He enjoys working with the other Negotiation Works Ambassadors because this allows them to exchange ideas, brainstorm about how to expand the Negotiation Works brand, and help others see the value in utilizing negotiation.

Pascal Laporte grew up in Texas. He is a college graduate, and he spent several years working in the fitness industry as a nutrition educator. Pascal participated in the Negotiation Works class when he was a Fellow with the Georgetown Pivot Program, and he wanted to join the Ambassadors Program because he realized both that he had more to learn about negotiation and also that he could share insights with others so that they could improve their own skills. Pascal values the opportunities provided by the Ambassadors program to stay aware of what he has already learned and to keep practicing and improving his own negotiation abilities.

Sherylon Starks grew up in Northeast D.C. After graduating high school, she received technical training from the IBEW-Local 26. Sherylon has worked as an electrical engineer with many high-rise projects in the Northern Virginia area, and she is now looking to be of service to her community. She believes in the service and skill set that Negotiation Works provides. Sherylon participated in the Negotiation Works program at Calvary Women’s Services, and she has been part of the Ambassadors program since its inception. Sherylon likes being part of the Negotiation Works team because she enjoys brainstorming with the team on new and exciting ways to introduce these strategies. She also loves hearing stories about how others use negotiation techniques in their lives.

Mary 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 also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Youth Law.

Betsy Biben is a forensic and clinical social worker who serves as the Chief of the Office of Rehabilitation and Development (“ORD”) for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (“PDS”), where she has been employed since 1982. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Connecticut and a postgraduate certificate from the Washington School of Psychiatry. Betsy is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and a licensed social worker in D.C. (LICSW). She is a founding member of the National Association of Sentencing Advocates, renamed NASAMS (National Alliance for Sentencing Alternatives & Mitigation Specialists) and has served as a consultant for The Sentencing Project and the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA). Betsy’s recent practice has turned to creating reentry plans for and assisting in the reentry of persons who have served twenty and more years of prison. In 2018, she and a colleague who served 26 years started a weekly reentry support group, named “15-30-Life”, for those who served at least 15 years in prison. Betsy previously served as a board member for the Southern Center for Human Rights and Voices for a Second Chance in D.C., and she is proud to be a Board member of Negotiation Works.

Stuart Ishimaru grew up in San Jose, California. He earned an AB from the University of California, Berkeley and a JD from the George Washington University School of Law. He served as the head of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; led the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice; served as Acting Staff Director of the US Commission on Civil Rights; and served on the professional staffs of the House Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights. Stuart believes Negotiation Works helps community members “crack the code” for better outcomes in their lives and gives them proven techniques to create positive change and address power inequities. Stuart is delighted to support the Negotiation Works team in carrying out this important effort that addresses a critical, and seldom acknowledged, need throughout the community.

Robert earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Catholic University, and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. A senior counsel at Hogan Lovells, he handles public interest litigation and previously served as the head of the firm’s Pro Bono practice. Robert is an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Prior to practicing law, Robert taught special-needs teenagers and managed programs for mentally disabled adults.

DC-native Sabiyha Prince is the founding director of AnthroDocs, a qualitative research firm based in Washington, DC. An urban anthropologist and artist, Dr. Prince researches and writes about African American life and culture. Her books include Constructing Belonging, African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, DC and Capital Dilemma; co-edited with Derek Hyra. Sabiyha worked at the Washington Office on Africa, Greenpeace, American University, and Empower DC. She sees working with Negotiation Works as an extension of the social justice work she has engaged in for decades. Equipping vulnerable populations to better advocate for themselves and embrace opportunity is important work, and she feels honored to be a part of the organization.