Meet the ADR Staff
Maureen A. Denihan (Director of ADR Programs)
Maureen A. Denihan is the Director of ADR Programs with the District Court of Maryland ADR Office. In that capacity, she works with judges, court staff, interns, volunteers and community partners to build, maintain and strengthen existing ADR programs in the District Court. In managing ADR programs, Maureen is responsible for drafting internal and external policy and procedure manuals, developing training and orientation programs, and oversight of the ADR internship program. She works collaboratively both within the ADR Office and with external partners to develop, implement, evaluate and improve programs and to assist neutrals that provide services.
Maureen has been with the ADR since January 2004, and formerly served in the capacity of Coordinator of ADR Volunteers, and then ADR Manager, and then Deputy Director/Programs Development and Community Outreach Director, before being promoted to her current position. Maureen is a mediator, is licensed to practice law in Maryland and is a member of the Maryland Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR).
Maureen has presented at national and local ADR conferences including the ACR’s Annual Conference, the Maryland Mediator’s convention, the Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence (MPME) Member’s Only Synergy Session, the Center for Alternative’s Dispute Resolution Annual Conference, the Maryland ADR Roster Manager’s Conference on topics including: Ethics; Agreement Writing; Getting Plugged In: Going Beyond the 40-Hours of Mediation Training; Dealing with Sticky Situations (as a Roster Manager); Making the Most of Your MPME Membership; and, others.
Vacant (Deputy Director/Quality Assurance Director)
Diana DeLuna (Admin Office Specialist)
Diana is a brand-new transplant to Annapolis from San Diego, California. There, she launched her legal career in the private sector in 2005 as a paralegal before shifting into work as an archivist/file clerk and legal librarian. After 12 years at her most recent litigation firm job, she made the move to Maryland with her husband. When not in the office, she enjoys relaxing with him, their 3 cats, and an ever-expanding collection of vinyl LPs.
Carole Burkhart (ADR Roster Program Manager)
Carole is the Roster Program Manager for the District Court of Maryland ADR Office. She is responsible for overseeing recruitment efforts for new volunteer ADR practitioners, reviewing and approving applicants to join the District Court ADR practitioner's rosters, and managing scheduling in all Day of Trial and Remote ADR Programs. Carole tracks practitioner volunteer activity and continuing education and annually assess the practitioners’ continued eligibility to remain on the roster. Carole will also direct the Annual ADR Programs Recognition and Volunteer Appreciation Event.
Carole began her tenure with the District Court in Calvert County in 2006, under the direction of Administrative Clerk Richard Parker as his Administrative Assistant. Four years later, Carole was promoted to Administrative Judge Robert Riddle’s chambers, where she supported the six judges who sat in District IV, comprising of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties. In 2015, Carole was promoted to the Office of the Chief Judge of the District Court of Maryland. Scheduling the usage of Senior Judges to sit in all 12 districts, comprising 33 locations, has been her top responsibility. In this role, Carole maintained a roster of 100 Senior Judges and scheduled more than 3,000 assignments per year. Over the past seven years, Carole has been their connection to District Court Headquarters, building significant relationships and connections with the roster of Senior Judges. Carole has also served as support staff to the Chief Judge’s Committee and as a member of the Senior Judges’ Committee. Carole is a graduate of the Court Professional Certificate program and assisted the Judicial Education team in developing the Judicial Assistant CORE program.
Carole recently completed her Basic Mediation Training through Baltimore Mediation online in December 2022. Carole looks forward to continuing her mediation training and ADR awareness in her new role as Roster Program Manager.
Sarah Kauffman (ADR Data and Public Information Analyst)
Sarah is currently the ADR Data and Public Information Analyst for the District Court of Maryland ADR Office. In this position, Sarah is responsible for collecting and analyzing the incoming data for all ADR volunteers, maintaining the office website, and supervising the ADR Office internship program. In 2013, she became a member of the ADR Program Managers. Before holding this position, she was both the Administrative Assistant and a full-time intern for the ADR Office. Sarah holds a B.A. in Communication and Conflict Resolution from Juniata College and a M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Management from the University of Baltimore. She received her 40-hour Basic Mediation Training from Mediation Matters in 2010 and two 20-hour mediation trainings from Baltimore Mediation. Sarah was recently elected to the ACR Board in October 2017 and serves as the Secretary. Sarah lives in Mt. Airy, Maryland with her husband Justin, sons Jaxson and Cooper, and cat Geno.
Molly Wilson (Online Dispute Resolution Coordinator)
Molly Wilson was most recently the senior program manager with the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County. She began mediating in 2016 when she started as an AmeriCorps Member with the CRCMC in-school mediation program. Molly received a BA in Political Science & Psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). She hosts a Harry Potter themed podcast and enjoys checking out new restaurants & local spots in and around Montgomery County with her husband, Griffin. She's excited to join the ADR team and continue providing mediation services across Maryland.
Adrienne Millender-Mather (Regional ADR Programs Manager)
Adrienne Millender-Mather is the Regional Programs Manager for Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, and Washington Counties. Adrienne studied Human Resources and Legal Studies at Strayer University. After working in program management and operational supervision, she felt led to become a mediator. In 2011, she trained in the Facilitative mediation framework with the Maryland State Bar Association and the Inclusive mediation framework through Community Mediation Maryland. Since then, she has mediated over 4000 cases and mentored hundreds of mediators.
Adrienne previously volunteered as a mediator in the District Court’s Day of Trial ADR Program. She has broad experience facilitating mediations in employment matters at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and mediating neighbor disputes, parent-child conflicts, business disputes, child access cases, employment disputes, States Attorney cases, landlord-tenant matters, and civil disputes through the District Court and at Carroll County Community Mediation (CCMC). For the last 11 years, Adrienne has worked as a staff mediator for the Office of Family Mediation in the Baltimore County Circuit Court mediating high conflict family cases, and as a private family mediator.
Adrienne resides in Hampstead, Maryland with her teenage son Liam, adult daughter Lilli, dogs Molly and Mick, and cat Stella B. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and completing home improvement projects.
Leona Elliott (Regional ADR Programs Manager)
Leona Elliott holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Virginia Union University. She has been with the District Court of Maryland ADR Office since April 2008 and was the former ADR Roster Programs Manager until July 2022. She expanded her career with the ADR Office in July 2022 as the new Regional ADR Programs Manager (RPM). This position requires her to give oversight to the ADR Programs in Baltimore City, Allegany, Garrett and Harford Counties.
Leona is passionate about the ADR field. She believes mediation is a “gift at the table.” She is always eager to mediate for Day of Trial, assist new mediators in the apprentice process, and conduct a Periodic or Reactivation Review of existing mediators/ADR Practitioners on the roster. She also likes to co-present with other staff at new volunteer orientations and In-Service events. An extension of her passion for mediation is that of conflict coaching. She provides volunteer coaching services for AACRC and St. Mary’s CMC. She also serves on the Outreach Teams with AACRC, BCMC and HCCMP to promote mediation in the community.
Leona supports DEI within the Maryland Judiciary. She was a co-founder of the DEI Group within the ADR Office (summer 2020), a co-founder of the Tri-Office DEI Group (spring 2021) (an affinity group that consists of representatives from three ADR Offices within the Maryland Judiciary). She is also a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Workgroup for Professional Employees (Maryland Judiciary) as of March 2024.
Isadora Cipolletta (Regional ADR Programs Manager)
Isadora Cipolletta earned her Juris Doctor from Appalachian School of Law in Virginia. She joins us from Baltimore City, where she worked as the Civil ADR Deputy Director for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Prior to that she was in Miami, FL where she worked as a Case Manager for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court dealing with all issues in family cases pending before the court. Isadora also worked in immigration law as a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her residence down south Isadora lived in Howard County, Maryland and was the Mediation Coordinator for the Circuit Court for Carroll County. Isadora is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is excited to join the District Court of Maryland Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Office as the Regional ADR Programs Manager for Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
Wendy Schneider (Regional ADR Programs Manager)
Wendy holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Penn State University and began mediating in 2018 after completing Inclusive Basic Mediation Training with Tri Community Mediation (TCM) in Salisbury, Maryland. Wendy worked at TCM as the Mediation Program Coordinator where she oversaw the court mediation programs, mediated disputes, and assisted with center management. Since 2018 she has also served as a District Court Day of Trial mediator in Dorchester, Wicomico, and Talbot counties, both as a partner with community mediation centers and as a private practitioner, mediating in the inclusive and facilitative frameworks.
Wendy has advanced training in Mediation and Negotiation from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Conflict Coaching through Conflict Coaching Matters, Parenting Plan and Police Complaint training through Community Mediation Maryland, and Basic Transformative Mediation through the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation. Wendy has also trained extensively in restorative justice, community facilitation, diversity and inclusion, and trauma-informed practice.
As the Regional Programs Manager for the eastern shore counties, Wendy looks forward to working with volunteer mediators, judges, court staff and administrators, and community partners to support and expand existing programs and provide greater access to mediation.