SOLOMON'S WAY STAFF

Danette J. Ross Watson

Founder and president of Solomon’s Way ADR Services, Danette has practiced in the field of ADR for nearly 25 years. Most recently she founded and serves as the Executive Director of the West Texas Community Mediation Center in Big Spring, Howard County, Texas.

• Served as President, Texas Association of Mediators 2022-2023
• Spirit of TAM Award Recipient 2022
• TAM Outreach Chair 2018-Present
• Host of TAM Talks an online membership event 2020-Present
• Member Dispute Resolution Council of Dispute Resolution Centers, Texas since 2020
• Advisor and Featured Mediator, Instant Mediations, an online mediation resource site since 2021
• Credentialed Distinguished Mediator with TMCA in the State of Texas.
• Completed the 40-hour basic crisis/hostage negotiations training with the Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators, and former member of the GEO Corrections Crisis Response Team 2016-2017
• Experienced in ADR: mental health care, mediation, conflict management, EEO, public policy and facilitation.
• Provides conflict management services and mediation to several agencies in Texas and the federal sector as an independent contractor; including, but not limited to: providing workshops, seminars, and educational presentations for various organizations and agencies around the country to promote awareness of the conflict resolution field through engaging, quality instruction with intense interaction and role play.
• Trained and offers biblical conciliation services to assist individuals, congregations, and church administrators in managing conflict and restoring relationships through biblical processes, practical skills and tools foundational to Biblical peacemaking.
• Serves as a certified mediator assessor for MCDR’s Certification Committee; a court-appointed family and adoption mediator for several counties in Maryland, West Virginia, and Texas; and as a roster mediator for the USPS REDRESS program, and other federal agencies.
• Committed to supporting the needs of the community by providing individualized and group facilitation services for families in conflict, including family/domestic violence and anger management.  In cooperation with Howard College Continuing Education/Community Relations; and by referral of the 118th District Court Adult and Juvenile Probation and the Parole Divisions representing Howard, and surrounding counties in West Texas; community agencies and CPS. Through Solomon’s Way she is able to offer a variety of SNS including, but not limited to: mediation, adult life skills training and other family support services as referred by case or social workers.

BACKGROUND: Since moving to Big Spring, Texas, she most recently utilized her skillset to work as a counselor and as a member of the hostage negotiation team, at GEO Corrections in Big Spring, Texas. She was formerly employed as the Staff Mediator for the Family Division of Prince George’s County Court, Maryland before she began working with the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), as the Membership Development Associate for Chapters and Family Mediation. Her desire to do more in the field led her to become involved with a national mental health initiative to reduce/eliminate seclusion and restraint in state mental health facilities using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a secondary tool. Danette was the consultant/trainer and mediator/facilitator through the National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) and the National Association of Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). This effort also enabled her to assist the Collaborative for Conflict Management in Mental Health (CCMMH) to further ADR strategies and techniques in the mental health field, and the California State Mental Health Hospitals by providing a train-the-trainers training to various members of their executive management teams.

Mrs. Ross Watson relocated to her hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia to further promote awareness and use of ADR/mediation services throughout the tri-state area in a variety of practice areas with a primary focus on “Strengthening WV one family at a time.” She worked as an approved administrative service organization provider (ASO Provider) which led to the development of 25 sub-contractors as executive director of a rapidly growing family support services organization. The primary client was the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and courts.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Advisor, Instant Mediations; Practitioner member, former Board member, Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR); Outreach Chair and Board member, Texas Association of Mediators; Distinguished Credentialed Mediator, Texas Mediator Credentialing Association;  Member, Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable; Member, Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators; Certifed Mediator/Assessor, former Board Member, Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution (MCDR); former Member, ACR Maryland Chapter.

CURRENT AND PAST PERFORMANCE: ADR Vantage- Federal EEO Contractor

Association for Conflict Resolution

Berkeley County Board of Education- Diversity Council; Blacks in Government

Collaborative for Conflict Management in Mental Health

Federal Agencies: DOHA-TSA, National Archives, USDA, USPS REDRESS Program, Veterans Administration, SSA, and others

From the Heart Church Ministries, Inc. and other churches & civic organizations

GEO Corrections; Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution;  NAACP Berkeley County, WV;  National Assoc of Mental Health Program Directors

State of Maryland Courts (Prince George’s, Baltimore, Montgomery Howard & Anne Arundel Counties); and other Private Sector & Civic Organizations

West Virginia DHHR – Bureau of Children & Families

West Virginia Supreme Court- Family Mediator

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS: Bachelors, Business Administration and Masters in Conflict Resolution, Concordia College and Universities

Certification, Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), Emmonite University

Trained, Motivational Interviewing, Baylor University

Certification, Certified Educator in Restorative Practices, National Educators for Restorative Practices (NEDRP)

Certification, Mental Health Coach, American Assoc of Christian Counselors