2025 Workshop speaker bios

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Christopher Arnold

Christopher Arnold is a highly respected family lawyer in Ottawa, specializing in Collaborative Divorce and Family Mediation. He earned his Economics degree from Queen’s University in 1988 and graduated cum laude from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law in 1993. Called to the Ontario Bar in 1995, he initially practiced in multiple areas before focusing exclusively on family law. A co-founder of the Collaborative Law Network of Eastern Ontario and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, he has served as president of both organizations. An adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, he developed and teaches a course on collaborative family law. Christopher is also a frequent speaker, educator, and advocate for peaceful conflict resolution in family law.

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Jennifer Donison

Jennifer offers a unique blend of personal experience, professional expertise, and unwavering dedication to helping individuals and families navigate the challenging journey of divorce. Jennifer has also personally been impacted by divorce with young children. This personal experience has shaped her approach and allowed her to truly empathize with the emotions, uncertainties, and hurdles that come with divorce. At the heart Jennifer's practice is a fundamental belief in the importance of prioritizing children's well-being during divorce.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."

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Jane Ja-Eun Huh

Jane is a Collaborative Family Lawyer. Her legal career has been dedicated to her collaborative practice and the Toronto collaborative community, recently serving as the Chair of Collaborative divorce Toronto and currently serving as the vice president of the OACP board. Jane has boundless energy and enthusiasm for growing collaborative practice in Ontario. Her collaborative practice now extends to all areas of the province, working with practitioners from the Niagara region to the Ottawa area, as well as to Huntsville. Jane is the proud mother of an LGBTQ advocate and writer on Saturday Night Live in New York.

“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. (Rosa Parks)

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Linda Ippolito

Dr. Linda M. Ippolito is a classical pianist, litigation lawyer, dispute resolution practitioner,
teacher, and scholar. She studied music at the Juilliard School and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, and law at Osgoode Hall Law School. She has performed as a soloist, vocal collaborator and duo pianist. Her passion lies at the intersection between music and conflict resolution. Linda’s academic work focuses on shifting metaphors and mindsets and building creative capacities through the use of music-based teaching and learning modalities. She has been published in a variety of scholarly journals and is the author of the book “Music, Leadership and Conflict: the Art of Ensemble Negotiation and Problem-solving”. Linda practices law in Toronto and teaches at Osgoode Professional Development.

"If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another." (Mother Teresa)

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Matthew Krofchick

Matthew Krofchick, CBV, CMA, CPA, CMC, CFF, FDRP VAL, ABV, is a Principal at Krofchick Valuations in Toronto where he specializes in forensic accounting, damage quantification, business valuations, and income determinations. Matthew provides expert witness testimony and his reports have been used in multiple provinces. Matthew is the chair of the Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario (FDRIO) and sits on a number of other non-profit boards. He has been active in the CICBV in organizing webinars, seminars, the annual congress, and spearheaded the joint retainer project and family law small groups. Matthew has previously presented to many organizations on topics including business valuations in the context of marital breakdowns, emerging issues and methodologies in pension valuations, damage quantification, cryptocurrency, and income determination for the purpose of determining spousal support. Matthew has also authored and co-authored a number of articles dealing with the financial issues surrounding marital breakdowns.

“Most cases should settle out of court”.

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Rosanna Macri

Rosanna Macri has had a long career as a practicing healthcare ethicist and has been in healthcare since 2003. She is also an intergenerational mediator. Over the years, she has mediated countless values-based conflicts amongst patients, clients, residents, families and healthcare professionals, keeping the clients’ values at the center of care. Rosie has developed a passion for helping older adults maintain personhood and autonomy throughout the aging process. Through her experience, Rosie offers families the hope of resolving challenging situations in a way that both nurtures and maintains relationships. Rosie is also a Lecturer with the University of Toronto.

"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody" ― Robby Novak

Triena McGurik

Triena holds a undergraduate degree and masters with honours of Social Work and has been in practice since 1999. Triena has worked for Toronto Police (1998-2000), Children's Aid (2000-2012), the Clinical Panel of the Office of the Children's Lawyer (OCL) (2006-2023), Education (2007-2023) and is a Clinician in Private Practice (2015-present). In 2015 Triena became trained as a Family Neutral/ Family Professional within Collaborative Law. Triena has testified in criminal and family law proceedings related to her service in child welfare and family law. She has spoken at parent literacy conferences, clinical practice groups, public health trainings, post secondary academic institutions, law firm professional development, collaborative law practice groups, and legal conferences, often speaking of emotional harm to children in separation and divorce, connection, how to navigate separation and divorce, and the neuroscience of trauma & implications for therapeutic jurisprudence.

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature”

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Cynthia Nantais

Cynthia is an Accredited Family Mediator with a commitment to excellence in mediation. She brings extensive family law knowledge and experience to mediation. She holds an LLB from the University of Windsor and an LLM in Family Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2000 and practised exclusively in family law. Since leaving practice, Cynthia has taught Family Law and Advanced Family Law at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. She is also a trainer and coach of mediators-in-training with Insightful Mediation Training. Cynthia's knowledge, compassion, insight and creativity have helped many families find solutions and move forward after family breakdown. 

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Anu Osborne

Anu has 40 years of experience as a lawyer, mediator and coach. She has bachelor’s degrees in Law and in Science from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto. She is an expert mediator and skilled collaborator, and has taught conflict resolution and collaboration to legal, mental health and financial professionals. Anu holds certifications in mediation, conflict coaching and deep coaching. She offers coaching, facilitation and training services to professionals through Inspirit Coaching and Facilitation (https://inspiritdeepcoach.com/)

"Be the change you'd like to see..." ― Gandhi

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Angela Pickard

Angela is a passionate family mediator and collaborative family professional. She has been facilitating the Family Professionals bi-monthly virtual group and volunteering with the OACP Board. Angela has a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University followed by doctoral studies and research in social and behavioural health sciences at University of Toronto. Her goal is to offer compassionate practice and research-driven services that make a real difference for families. Originally from P.E.I., she has an undeniable love for oceans (and lakes) that bring her clarity. Angela enjoys walking her dog, laughing with her kids, sipping espresso, and planning next adventures.

Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.―Buddha

Mary-Anne Popescu

Mary-Anne Popescu, Executive Director of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and a dedicated Family Mediator in Toronto, brings extensive expertise as an Accredited Family and Intergenerational Mediator. Guided by a heart-led approach, she values family self-determination alongside legal knowledge. During the pandemic, Mary-Anne led Online Dispute Resolution training for mediators, adapting to new challenges. She instructs at York University's Family Mediation Certificate Program, designing curriculum for effective learning. Mary-Anne contributed to "Living Together, Separating, Divorcing: Surviving During a Pandemic," supporting families through contemporary challenges. A committed ally for diversity, she volunteered with Toronto PFLAG from 2012 to 2018, advocating for inclusive policies and community well-being.

“The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” ― E.E. Cummings

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Asif Quadir

Asif Quadir holds a B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario, a LL.B from the University of Ottawa, and a MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1994.
Combining both business and legal acumen, Asif has structured, negotiated, implemented and governed strategic transactions involving the due diligence, acquisition, transition and integration activities (including M&A, offshoring, and cloud-based services) in Canada, United States, Latin America, Thailand and India. His experiences include the establishment, governance and management of enterprise relationships from both the service provider and client perspective across different industries. Asif is also an avid percussionist and an enthusiastic photographer with a darkroom and a collection of vintage film cameras.

"The strongest among you is the one who controls his anger" - Prophet Muhammad

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Amanda Reece

Through Amandafesting, Amanda Reece helps individuals align their lives with purpose, wellness, and joy. A dynamic professional with a passion for conflict resolution and personal growth, she has a background in psychology, family dynamics, and administrative leadership. Dedicated to fostering connection and transformation—and supporting professionals in the meaningful work they do—Amanda serves as CPMed Program Assistant with OAFM, supporting the Child Protection Mediation Roster. She also works as Executive Assistant for OACP, providing operational leadership and facilitating communication among professionals. Beyond this, Amanda offers workshops on self-esteem, building adult friendships, navigating dating, and networking and business growth. She also provides Reiki and business systemizing services, helping others manifest goals and create meaningful change.

“When you focus on the good, the good gets better.” ― Abraham Hicks

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Michael Saini

Michael Saini, PhD, MSW, RSW is a professor and the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work at the University of Toronto. He is the Co-Director of the Combined J.D. and M.S.W. Program with the Faculty of Law. He serves on multiple boards, including the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and Family Mediation Canada (FMC), and routinely presents to international audiences on family justice issues.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." — Peter Drucker

Jennifer Suzor

Jennifer Suzor is a highly respected mediation trainer, educator, and practitioner dedicated to transforming conflict resolution. A Past President of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, she has decades of experience in family mediation and is passionate about helping individuals navigate challenging situations with empathy and clarity. As a sought-after trainer/operator of INSIGHTful Mediation Training, Jennifer equips professionals with the skills to facilitate constructive conversations, ensuring fair and lasting solutions. Her expertise extends to Insight Mediation, where she empowers mediators to foster deeper understanding and resolution. Through her engaging workshops and leadership, Jennifer continues to shape the future of mediation, making a meaningful impact on families and communities.

“Why cut what you can untie?” ― Joubert

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Vicky Visca

Vicky Visca has worked child welfare and separation and divorce for over 40 years. She has been a Family Mediator since 1983 and a Child Protection Mediator in 2007. Her passion is the provision of mediation through a trauma informed lens. Vicky is the Past President of the Board of the OAFM and she is the current the Program Manager of Child Protection Mediation program of OAFM. Vicky provides consultative and training services to other Family and Child Protection Mediators. She holds three contracts with the MAG for family mediation, Information and Referral Coordinator programs and MIPS.

"Out of a mountain of despair a stone of hope" - Martin Luther King

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel more than 30 days before the Conference we can refund your registration fee less a $20 administrative cost. If you cancel less than 30 days we cannot offer a refund.