The Community Mediation Center of Calvert (CMCC) is pleased to announce that Elaine Phillips is our Volunteer of the Year. Even though Elaine currently holds a job in the MD Judiciary, she remains true to her roots as a community volunteer.  Despite working full-time, Elaine finds the time to volunteer with the Community Mediation Centers she coordinates for her job. Elaine is always willing to step in to help mediate cases for our Center, often on evenings or weekends. She attends many of our trainings and supports outreach and community events at our Center.

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Elaine is also an integral part of our training team. She mentors mediators in the District Court as well as those she works with on community mediations. She is always encouraging, upbeat, and supportive with both new and experienced mediators. She is ethical and non-judgmental when dealing with mediation participants and is one of the mediators we rely upon for some of our most challenging cases.

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Elaine currently works for the District Court of Maryland as a Regional Programs Director (since 2017).  She coordinates Day-of-Trial mediation and pre-trial referrals for small claims cases and peace orders.  She also volunteers as a mediator in four counties, covering the gamut of community mediation types.  Elaine came to the conflict resolution field via the long and winding road of non-profit management in areas including micro-enterprise development, child and maternal health, Native American languages, and domestic violence advocacy.  She has master’s degrees in Community Planning and Conflict Resolution, which she earned after her three interesting children had grown up.  She interned in Northern Ireland and was formerly the Director of the Community Mediation Center of St. Mary’s County.  Elaine is also a wonderful cat mom! Being a contributor in creating safe, inclusive, and nurturing communities is the driving force behind the work to which she has dedicated herself.

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The Community Mediation Center of Calvert is fortunate to have Elaine on our team, and she is truly deserving of our Volunteer of the Year award this year.