Susan M. Yates to receive ABA’s prestigious D’Alemberte Raven Award
The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (ABA DR Section) has announced Susan M. Yates, executive director of Resolution Systems Institute, as the winner of its distinguished D’Alemberte Raven Award.
The premier award in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), the D’Alemberte Raven Award is presented to an individual or organization that has contributed significantly to the dispute resolution field through the development of new or innovative programs, improvements in service, improvements in efficiency, research and/or published writings, and/or development of continuing education programs.
The ABA DR Section will present the award to Yates at its 2024 Spring Conference, taking place April 10-13 in San Diego.
Susan M. Yates has been executive director of the Chicago-based national nonprofit Resolution Systems Institute (RSI) since 1997, when she was instrumental in its founding. As executive director, Yates is responsible for implementing RSI’s mission of strengthening access to justice by enhancing court ADR systems.
RSI is nationally known for its comprehensive evaluations of court ADR programs and cutting edge research on issues impacting litigants and courts with limited resources. RSI also engages courts in dispute system design, provides mediation services, and designs program monitoring systems.
“Susan’s astute, dedicated stewardship has made RSI the nationally respected ADR thought leader it is today,” said longtime member of the RSI board of directors Terry Moritz. “Because of her leadership, RSI has continued to develop landmark research and is enabling the ADR field to maintain high standards of both efficiency and ethics. Susan’s recognition by the Dispute Resolution Section of the ABA is certainly well deserved.”
Yates’ Decades of ADR Service
Beyond RSI, Yates has long been active in dispute resolution on a national level. She served on the Grants Committee of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation from 2019 to 2022 and on the Editorial Board for Conflict Resolution Quarterly from 2003 to 2017. She was a member of the ABA DR Section Council for several terms, and served as one of the ABA’s two delegates to the six-person Joint Committee to Revise the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators.
Yates has received numerous awards and has authored or co-authored two books and multiple studies and articles. She has designed and conducted training programs ranging from new-mediator trainings to advanced and other specialty mediator trainings. Learn more about Susan M. Yates’ background in her bio at aboutrsi.org/about/staff, and for additional details and commentary, please reach out to info@aboutrsi.org.
The D’Alemberte Raven Award
The D’Alemberte Raven Award honors Talbot D’Alemberte and Robert D. Raven, each of whom served as both ABA president and chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution or its predecessor. Each helped the ABA to become a leader in the dispute resolution arena.