Michele Straube

Director, Wallace Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program

http://www.law.utah.edu/stegner/environmental-dispute-resolution/

Michele Straube was a practicing lawyer for more than 15 years, representing private and public sector clients. She has extensive experience with administrative agencies in their regulatory and enforcement functions. For the past 15 years, she has focused exclusively on alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, facilitation, training, and collaborative problem-solving. Professor Straube maintained a private mediation practice in which she designed and facilitated consensus-building processes and offers conflict management training. In addition to being on several national rosters for environmental third-party neutrals, she conducted mediations for the U.S. Postal Service REDRESS program, and has been a long-term-care ombudsman for Salt Lake County.

From January 2008 to August, 2010, Professor Straube directed Salt Lake Solutions, SLC Mayor Ralph Becker’s collaborative government initiative. Salt Lake Solutions projects model collaboration by engaging all segments of the community to address difficult public problems. www.slcgov.com/SLSolutions.

Professor Straube designed the Environmental Dispute Resolution class with Professor James Holbrook, and will be updating the course for the Spring 2013 Semester. In spring 2007, she designed and taught a pilot course (then entitled Comparative Dispute Resolution) to introduce students to the broad range of conflict prevention, management and resolution options available in addition to litigation. The revised and retitled Conflict Management course was accepted into the permanent curriculum in spring 2009. She also teaches Conflict Management and Public Policy Collaboration as an Adjunct for the Masters of Public Administration Program.

Selected Talks and Presentations

"Rangeland Collaborations: Successes and Challenges," November 2011, National Forest Foundation webinar.

"Local Leaders as Conveners for Collaborative Problem Solving," November 2010, National League of Cities, Leadership Training Institute Seminar, Denver, CO.

"Public Engagement Practice in Local Government," June 2010, National League of Cities webinar.

"Working Collaboratively to Solve Environmental Problems," August 2009, Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT.

"A Successful Collaboration: The Clear The Air Challenge," panel discussion, July 2009, Urban Land Institute, Salt Lake City, UT.

View CV for full list

Honors & Awards

Health Care Hero Award, Utah Business Magazine, October 2011

Special Projects

Collaborative Processes

Collaborative Group on Sustainable Grazing for Southern Utah Forest Service Lands (ongoing)

Facilitator for collaboration developing consensus agreement on grazing management principles and

practices that provide for ecological sustainability and are socially acceptable and economically viable.

Primary focus is on three southern Utah national forests. The participants represent federal and

state agencies, academia, as well as agricultural, wildlife and environmental groups.

ESCALANTE RIVER WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP (ongoing)

Facilitator for collaboration co-sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Collaboration members include federal and state agencies, local elected officials, various non-profit organizations, and local landowners. The partnership purpose is to develop a collaborative and comprehensive approach to restore, protect and maintain a healthy riparian ecosystem in the Escalante River watershed. See recent article about the partnership: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/52850331-90/escalante-native-river-partnership.html.csp

HILL AIR FORCE BASEFacilitator for Hill AFB Restoration Advisory Board, consisting of over twenty community and environmental group members who advise the base on priorities and appropriate remedies for hazardous waste cleanups. The base cleanup efforts are divided into thirteen separate operable units, with significant off-site releases affecting residents and natural resources in seven towns. Conducted training on facilitation techniques for managing small group discussions and handling "difficult" behaviors. www.hillrab.org

UTAH TEST AND TRAINING RANGE (UTTR)

Facilitator for UTTR Restoration Advisory Board, consisting of over twenty community, tribal, NGO and agency members who advise Hill AFB on priorities and appropriate investigation and remedies for the range. The RAB's jurisdiction includes hazardous wastes under CERCLA and RCRA, as well as unexploded ordinance under MMRP. See RAB website at http://uttrrab.org

CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GEOGRAPHIC INITIATIVE Facilitator for community-based initiative to conduct community health needs assessment in several low income communities in the Salt Lake City valley. Participants include all levels of government (federal, state, county, city), non-profit organizations and community representatives. See project website: http://www.deq.utah.gov/Issues/childrenshealth/index.htm

CLEAR THE AIR CHALLENGE/CARE TO CLEAR THE AIR

Convened and facilitated the Air Quality Partners Team, made up of state and local government entities,

business, faith, education and other community groups interested in motivating behavior changes to

improve air quality in Salt Lake Valley. www.cleartheairchallenge.org

Professional Affiliations

Utah State Bar No. 7440

Certified Long-Term Care Ombudsman, November 2005

Certificate in Public Participation (IAP2), 2004

Certified Mediator, Utah, November 1997

Member, Committee on Long-Term Institutional Management of DOE Legacy Waste Sites: Phase 2, National Academy of Sciences, 2001-2003

Member, CityFutures Panel on Democratic Governance, National League of Cities, 2008-2010

Practitioner Member, Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), formerly Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR)

Member, International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)

Member, Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR)

Listed on Mediation Rosters:

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (national and Region VIII rosters)

Utah State Court roster (master mediator status)

Hearing Officer Roster: Utah Professional Personnel Advisory Committee (UT Dept. of Education) (2005-2008)

Into the Heart of the Alps for Atrial Fibrillation Awareness (2011-2014)

Project description: http://bit.ly/lslXkz

Blog: http://bit.ly/hHPG2f