Conflict Educator M

09/12/2026

So grateful for the friendship developed with Her Excellences Elsie Sia Kanza and Yvette Ngandu Kapinga, Ambassadors of The Democratic Republic of Congo and Ambassador for The United Republic of Tanzania respectively. These women understood the need for the work of people like me, who take on the title Peace Builder, mediator/negotiator and Arbitrator. As their respective countries have had a fair share of conflict on varied scales.

My training portion covered the role of Arbitration in conflicts when Contracts entered into by multilateral/multinational companies on the African Continent goes bad.

Hosted by the Constituency for Africa in partnership with Nixon Peabody LLP and Noir United International, and daily Conflict Solutions. The signature forum of the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series spotlighted African women ambassadors shaping diplomacy, development, and global engagement. The program brough together senior diplomats, Peace/Nation Builders, policymakers, diaspora leaders, development practitioners, and private-sector stakeholders for a high-level discussion on Africa’s global agenda, strategic partnerships, trade and investment, security, and inclusive development.

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

After concluding a three-month long arbitration case, I took a quiet walk along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor reflecting on the resilience of the city.
Baltimore—“B-MORE” as many who love the city affectionately call it —has faced its share of challenges. Yet it continues to rise. It may bend, but it does not break. Its strength is found in its people, its history, and its determination to move forward.
That same resilience is something I witness in my work as an arbitrator. In arbitration, parties often arrive carrying more than documents and legal arguments. They bring frustration, disappointment, deeply held beliefs, and sometimes years of conflict. Understandably, they may become focused on proving that the other side is wrong—or even that the other person is a bad person.
But I often remind participants:
Your job is not to prove that the other person is terrible. Your job is to clearly show what happened, identify the evidence that supports your position, and explain why the decision you are requesting is justified.
That principle extends beyond arbitration.
In life and in business, we can become focused on blame, conflict, and the actions of others that we lose sight of our purpose & goal. We spend our energy trying to win an argument instead of pursuing the outcomes that truly matters.
Effective advocates—and the most resilient people—know to refocus.
They acknowledge the challenge without allowing it to define them. They rely on facts, remain grounded in their purpose, and adapt when the path forward changes.
Like Baltimore, we may face setbacks. We may be tested. We may need to change course.
But resilience is not the absence of difficulty. It is the decision to rise, refocus, and keep moving forward. Whether you are navigating a dispute, leading an organization, or facing a personal challenge, clarity of purpose should help you move from conflict to resolution and from adversity to opportunity. So, with greetings from Baltimore- B-MORE, B-MORE focused. B-MORE resilient. B-MORE determined.