Honoring Sarah Grebe Sunrise > 1947 Sunset >2004< Sarah Grebe helped found MCDR. She passed away on December 2, 2004. Sarah was a nationally recognized expert in conflict resolution and Structured Divorce Mediation and trained thousands in Maryland and across the country. MCDR has established the Sarah Grebe Fund to support conflict resolution professionals in their quest for improvement. MCDR is a §501(c)(3) organization.

Sarah Childs-Grebe, 57, 2/8/47, past Chair of the ethics department at Catholic University, died Thursday evening (12/2/04), after battling ALS for 3 years. Sarah was a nationally known conflict resolution and Structured Divorce Mediation expert. Sarah had earned a BS degree in Bioethnology, and worked briefly in the field before switching to counseling, earning first an MEd in counseling then an MSW in Social Work from Catholic University. She established a private clinical practice in Kensington, MD, where she lived. She later became interested in Divorce Mediation, receiving her training (1980) from O.J.Coogler, considered by many to be the father of Divorce Mediation. Sarah was one of the first people in Maryland to receive such training and went on to pioneer the field, with Coogler, providing Mediation skills training to thousands of professionals in Maryland and across the country. After his death, she helped establish the National Center for Mediation Education (NCME) (1984) and continued the work Coogler had begun. In the early 1990's she established and was director of a post masters, certificate program at Catholic University, for several years. After this program closed, she continued in her practice and then took employment with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), first as the Assistant Chair and later as the chair person of the Ethics department, bringing mediation to this organization, as a way of resolving conflicts, between clinicians and clients. It was during her time at this post that she became ill. Sarah’s work in conflict resolution stretched from 1980 to 2004. During this time she co-authored one book, was editor of another and wrote numerous articles for several professional journals. She sat on the board of the Academy of Family Mediators (a national professional organization) and helped establish the Maryland Council on Dispute Resolution (MCDR) a state professional organization. She was one of the first court - appointed mediators in Montgomery County, Md. Sarah continued to work at NCME, maintained her private practice, began and finished her DSW. in Social work at Catholic University. She was the first to provide mediation training for the Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Legal Education (MICPEL), which as a non-lawyer was a major coup. Sarahs work directly or indirectly has touched the lives of thousands of people in Maryland, Washington, Virginia and across the country. Even when hospitalized from her illness and no longer able to move her body, her mind continued to work as well as ever. From her hospital bed her guidance was sought by others at both a professional and personal level. Sarah was born in Florida. She has lived in the Washington metropolitan area for over 30 years. She is survived by three children, Ariana, Bronwen and Cameron. The Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution (MCDR) has established the Sarah Grebe Fund. Money from the fund will be used to support other conflict resolution professionals in their quest for improvement. Donations can be sent to MCDR, 1160 Spa Rd, 1-B, Annapolis, MD, 21403. Scribe Martin Kranitz 12/15/04

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