I had the opportunity to attend the OMA conference in Portland this weekend. The conference was held at the Ambridge Events Center and took place all day Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately I had to miss Friday's workshops because I had class until 1:30, but I made it in time for the birthday party/cocktail hour to celebrate 25 years of OMA. There were about 300 attendees of which I knew maybe a dozen. I chatted with Caitlin and Anne who were trainers at my mediation training. Claire from mediate.com and internship extraordinaire helped me better understand what internship opportunities are out there. And of course Chip and Lysbeth from CMS attended as well as my fellow Cohort 7 student Katie Behel.
I went in to Saturday's workshops not knowing what to expect, and emerged with a greater understanding of cross-cultural aspects in the field and a more qualitative view of mediation. Both workshops I attended were well organized and executed and I was pleased that I made the effort to attend.
At lunch OMA awarded three distinguished service awards to members who have made a significant contribution to the field. I was inspired and motivated by these three fine folks. I'm happy to be an OMA member and wonder what my future in mediation holds.
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