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Kathleen is a lecturer of Business Law and has been with NKU since 2011. Prior to joining NKU, Kathleen practiced law for 12 years in various capacities. Her current practiced primarily includes all aspects of labor and employment law in defense of employers. Kathleen specializes in advising Companies regarding compliance with Title VII, the National Labor Relations Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and various other state and federal employment statutes and regulations. Kathleen also worked as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, where she investigated and prosecuted unfair labor practices and as the Director of Personnel for a large state agency/cabinet where she oversaw all aspects of human resources. In 2016 Kathleen became the Director the College of Business' Alternative Dispute Resolution Center. In this role she oversees the ADR Center's annual Labor/Management Conference, the student programming, and community outreach. Kathleen graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science from the University of Louisville and her law degree from the University of Cincinnati where she was an executive member of the Moot Court Board.

G. Keith Gambrel has been a dedicated member of the Kentucky bar since 1998, with a solid educational foundation from the University of Kentucky, Union College, and 91��Ƭ��’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Keith has built a diverse legal career. Keith’s passion lies in family mediation. Over the past 20 years, he has represented thousands of families in Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse cases. He has mediated over 1,150 cases, primarily focusing on family law, including probate, personal injury, and construction contracts. 

Keith’s commitment to the legal community is evident through his service on the Board of Directors for the Northern Kentucky Bar Association and Northern Kentucky Collaborative Family Law. He remains an active member of several professional organizations, including the Kentucky Bar Association, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, and the American Bar Association.  In addition to his mediation work, Keith handles cases in domestic relations, personal injury, criminal defense, and serves as a Guardian Ad Litem in the Campbell County Family Court. His extensive and diverse experience, spanning over two decades, makes him a trusted advocate for families in need. 

FMCS Commissioner John Gray joined the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in June of 2011.Prior to his appointment with FMCS John was employed with the Ohio State Employment Relations Board (SERB) where he worked as a Labor Relations Mediator since February, 2006. Prior to his years of service as a State Mediator, John served as the Business Manager & Financial Secretary of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 20 for 12-1/2 years. In his capacity as the Executive Officer of IUOE Local 20, John was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Local as well as serving as the Union’s chief spokesman for over 120 labor agreements in the private and public sectors including contracts falling under the Federal Service Contract Act. In addition to administering contracts, John was the Union’s chief advocate in arbitrations and resided over the adjudication of grievances. 

Professor Amy Halbrook is the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and Director the NKU Chase Children's Law Center Clinic, a partnership between Chase College of Law and the Children's Law Center in Covington, Kentucky. She has represented clients in a wide range of court proceedings, including domestic violence, child protection, high-conflict custody, juvenile justice, school discipline, and special education matters. Much of her current work involves representing children in criminal, domestic violence and child welfare matters.

Before joining the Chase faculty, Professor Halbrook completed clinical teaching fellowships in Northwestern University School of Law's Children and Family Justice Center and Loyola University Chicago’s Civitas ChildLaw Clinic. She is a certified trainer in the National Juvenile Defender Center’s Juvenile Training Immersion Program. She has served as a trial skills trainer for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the American Bar Association.  In addition to the Clinic, she teaches Family Law, Family Law Mediation, Juvenile Law, and Client-Centered Practice at Chase.  She is a member of the boards of the NKU Alternative Dispute Resolution Center and Community Restorative Justice-Covington.    

Jim has been in the legal profession for over a third of a century, and still believes in making a difference in his clients’ lives. He concentrates his efforts in family law, mediation, plaintiffs’ personal injury work, and general litigation. A life-long Northern Kentucky resident, Jim is a graduate of Covington Catholic High School, Xavier University, and Chase College of Law. Demonstrating his commitment to local non-profit organizations, Jim serves on the Boards of the Children’s Law Center, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, and the Northern Kentucky Bar Foundation.

Jim is licensed to practice in Kentucky and Ohio, and is an experienced mediator, having facilitated over 1,000 mediations to successful conclusion.

Judge Lucinda Masterton completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University in 1972, and graduated from West Virginia University College of Law in 1981.  She moved to Lexington in 1983, and engaged in a general practice of law, focusing on family mediation and bankruptcy. Judge Masterton was elected as the Family Court Judge for the Fifth Division in Fayette County, and took the bench in January 2007; she was re-elected in 2014.  In addition to her duties as a Family Court Judge, Judge Masterton was the judge for family drug court and juvenile drug court and was the lead judge for the Fayette County Model Court project; she was the local judge for the START program, which focuses resources on families in the Dependency, Neglect and Abuse Court.  She has served on numerous boards and committees; she was the Chair of the Kentucky Child Support Guidelines Commission for over ten years; she was a lead judge for the RESTORE initiative to address substance abuse in the Kentucky Court system; she served on the National Judicial Opioid Task Force for the National Center for State Courts; and she currently serves on the Judicial Advisory Committee for the National CASA program, and is a member of the Kentucky CASA Network Board of Directors. Judge Masterton received several state-wide awards for her service as a judge, including a 2008 Kentucky Court of Justice award for outstanding service in the field of substance abuse community advocacy; the 2013 Outstanding Judge Award presented by the Kentucky Citizens Foster Care Review Board; the Kentucky CASA Judge of the Year for 2021; and the 2014 and the 2022 Judge of the Year from the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is very active with the Central Kentucky Chapter of the American Inns of Court, serving as President for the 2018-19 Inn year; and is the past chair of the Program Review Committee for the American Inns of Court. Judge Masterton retired from the bench in January, 2023. As a retired judge, she is working with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts to help develop family mediation in underserved areas of the state.

Dr. Lambert South is a Professor in Communication Studies. She received her Ph.D. in family communication from the University of Denver, her M.A. in interpersonal communication from Texas Tech University, and her B.A. in communication and psychology from the University of Kansas. She received her J.D. from NKU Chase College of Law in 2020.

Her areas of expertise include divorce, stepfamilies, co-parenting, family favoritism, adolescent residential treatment centers, and conversations surrounding death. She also has general expertise in communication strategies, interpersonal communication, and business communication. Professor Lambert South is widely involved in the NKU community both on- and off-campus. In addition to serving as a Mediator for the Northern Kentucky Alternative Dispute Resolution Center, she is the Chair of the NKU  IRB, and is the Communication Studies and Health Communication program director. Dr. Lambert South is active force in the communication discipline and has served as the Chair of the Family Communication and Master’s Education divisions for the National Communication Association. She has also served as the Chair of the Interpersonal and Small Group Interest Group for the Central States Communication Association. She is active on numerous review boards and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Family Communication, Women and Language, and the Journal of Communication Pedagogy. Dr. South is also an experienced family law mediator and member of the NKU Alternative Dispute Resolution Center Board of Advisors.

Louis J. Manchise has been a mediator in the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky area for the past 33 years. Most recently before joining the faculty at NKU, he served as Director of Mediation Services, Federal Mediation Service (FMCS) in Cincinnati. He is very well known in the conflict management community as a dedicated, hard working, fair and creative problem solver. He was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 for his service and for the outstanding contribution in the field of labor management education.

Hon. John M. McCarty, Retired District Judge, 38th Judicial District / Family Circuit Judge, 6th Judicial Circuit. During his time on the bench, Judge John McCarty represented Butler, Edmonson, Hancock and Ohio Counties as District Court Judge and for three years, Daviess County as Circuit Family Court Judge. He was sworn in to the bench in September 2001.

He previously served as President of the District Judges Association and has served on the Education and Legislative Committees of the Association, a member of the Court Technology Governance Committee and the E-filing Steering Committee. In addition to his regular duties, Judge McCarty oversaw a misdemeanor/felony Drug Court and a pilot DUI Court in his jurisdiction as well as a Teen Court in Ohio County.

Judge McCarty is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture and the University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law. Prior to his appointment, Judge McCarty practiced law for 22 years, primarily in Hancock and Daviess Counties. For a short period, he served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 38th Judicial Circuit.

Judge McCarty has served as a long term faculty member for the Kentucky Judicial Colleges having presented on numerous topics. Presently he serves as an assignment Judge for the Senior Judge Program and as a felony mediator. He has served as ABA Kentucky Judicial Outreach Liaison since he retired in 2023.

 

Pastor Edward L. Palmer Sr. is the visionary, senior pastor, and co-pastor with his wife Elizabeth (Angie) Palmer for The Sign of The Dove Church International located in Radcliff, Kentucky. He is a Certified Diversity Trainer and works to eliminate disproportionate minority contact within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.  Pastor Palmer is also a Disabled U.S. Army Veteran.

In 2017, Pastor Palmer was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award winner presented by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin as well as the Courage for Kids Award present by Kentucky Youth Advocates. In May of 2019, he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Impact Award presented by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

Pastor is Former Chair of the State Inner-Agency Council’s Diversity Standing Committee and past Chair of the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), and a member of The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He is a certified Racial and Ethnic Disparities Capstone Project Fellow through the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University, and a certified Maxwell Leadership coach, speaker, and trainer.

In the Spring 2021 Juvenile Justice Update, Pastor Palmer co-authored the article “Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game: The Importance of Systemic Change to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities.”  Pastor has served the citizens of his city for five terms as a Radcliff City councilman and is currently serving as a Certified Police Chaplin. He has shared his passion for racial equality from Washington State to Washington D.C., to Princeton University, and many other locations across the nation. His implicit bias training was involved in a process of evaluation with John Hopkins University and proven to be effective.   Pastor Palmer operates with undeniable vision and unyielding passion for the purposeful course on which God has set him, running his race with patience, diligence, vigilance, and effectiveness.