Community Mediation Services of Lane County, Inc.
Dear Mr. Harrington,
I am writing in my capacity as current chair of the Board of Directors of Community Mediation Services of Lane County, Inc. ("CMS"), a nonprofit corporation providing low cost and high quality dispute resolution and communication training and services.
As you know, on December 6, 2006, CMS held its annual Board retreat, in order to focus on "big picture" issues and our general goals for the organization. This year we were extremely fortunate to have our meeting facilitated by Ms. Catrin Rode of your organization.
Ms. Rode's assistance and services proved to be invaluable. Our Board is comprised of intelligent, articulate, and dedicated individuals who are also opinionated and outspoken. Ms. Rode was able to surface a variety of Board perspectives that had not previously been articulated, and to gracefully guide us through a spirited discussion regarding the basic values and mission of our organization. She did this with great perception, skill, intelligence, and patience.
At the conclusion of the afternoon, we had created a general roadmap for the future of our organization and a new board committee structure. We left the meeting feeling energized, unified, and with a clear sense of direction and of the work before us. We owe this result largely to Ms. Rode.
Many thanks to you and Ms. Rode for your generous and expert assistance.
Sincerely,
Timothy F. Brewer
