About Us
Creative Conflict Management
Piedmont Peace Center empowers individuals, famillies, educators, groups and organizations to be their best selves through mediation services, educational initiatives and trainings, restorative justice services, and peace-building through community partnerships.
Our Staff
Brandon Bastian
Executive Director
Brandon is a certified mediator, mentor, and trainer who has been mediating with Piedmont Peace Center since 2013. He has also served as the Mediation Services Director of Prince William County’s Office of Dispute Resolution (2014-2023), administered by PPC, and as a caseworker at Brigham Young University’s Center for Conflict Resolution (2012-2013).
Brandon sits on the board of the Virginia Mediation Network (vamediation.org) and Resolution Virginia (resolutionvirginia.org).
Brandon holds a B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Sylvia McDevitt
Director of Mediation and Administrative Services
Sylvia is a certified mediator who has been mediating wtih Piedmont Peace Center since 2021. She was formerly the Membership Director of the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce and an Advertising Executive with the Fauquier Times newspaper. She is also a former owner with extensive business experience in the hospitality and catering industry.
She studied business at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
Brenda Rodriguez
Office Administrator
Brenda has been with Piedmont Peace Center since 2021. She has previously been an Office Associate with Food Lion.
Brenda holds a B.S. in Business Management from George Mason University.
Our Mediators
Sue Ballentine
Mediating with PPC since 2004. Teaching Co-Parenting Class since 2016
Sue Ballentine
Mediating with PPC since 2004. Teaching Co-Parenting Class since 2016
Sue is a certified general district court mediator and mentor. She also teaches the victim impact program classes for the Restorative Justice Program at the Manassas office and is a CHATS facilitator.
Lisa Barkema
Mediating with PPC since 2019
Lisa Barkema is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator, and a pending JDR mentor. Lisa also leads PPC’s Community Peacebuilding Program and is a CHATS facilitator.
Janet Brown
Mediating with PPC since 2012
Janet Brown is a certified general district, juvenile and domestic relations, and circuit court – family mediator, and a JDR and circuit court – family mentor.
Susan Buckley
Mediating with PPC since 2016
Susan is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator and mentor.
Michele Chesneau
Mediating with PPC since 2019
Michele Chesneau is a certified general district, juvenile and domestic relations, and circuit court – family mediator and mentor.
Anna Dixon
Mediating with PPC since 2011
Anna Dixon is a certified general district, juvenile and domestic relations, and circuit court – family mediator and mentor. Anna has previously worked with the White House Budget Office and IBM. Anna is also a docent with the National Gallery of Art.
Shannon Grimes
Mediating with PPC since 2021
Shannon Grimes is a certified juvenile and domestic relations mediator.
Amos Hewitt
Mediating with PPC since 2017
Amos is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator and mentor.
Tanya Hunter
Mediating with PPC since 2012
Tanya Hunter is a certified general district mediator.
Pilar Leon
Mediating with PPC since 2021
Pilar Leon is a certified juvenile and domestic relations mediator. She is also bilingual and mediates cases in Spanish.
Sylvia McDevitt
Mediating with PPC since 2021
Sylvia McDevitt is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator, and a pending JDR mentor. Sylvia is PPC’s Mediation Services Director and is also a CHATS facilitator.
Susan Lease-Trevathan
Mediating with PPC since 1998
Susan Lease-Trevathan is a certified general district, juvenile and domestic relations, circuit court – civil, and circuit court – family mediator and mentor.
Edward (Ned) Madden
Mediating with PPC since 2011
Ned Madden is a general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator and mentor.
A Blanton Massey
Mediating with PPC since 2011
Angela Mojica
Mediating with PPC since 2016
Angela Mojica is a certified juvenile and domestic relations and circuit court – family mediator. Angela is fluent in Spanish, Catalan, French, and Italian. She previously worked for DC’s Multi-Door mediation program.
Ayce Ozerdem
Mediating with PPC since 2021
Ayce Ozerdem is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator.
Lawrie S. Parker
Mediating with PPC since 1990
Lawrie Parker is a certified general district, juvenile and domestic relations, circuit court – civil, and circuit court – family mediator and mentor. Lawrie is PPC’s founding executive director and currently leads our police-referred services project. She is also a CHATS facilitator.
Joanne Sellors
Mediating with PPC since 2023
Joanne Sellors is a certified general district and juvenile and domestic relations mediator.
Ron Williams
Mediating with PPC since 2013
Ron Williams is a general district, juvenile and domestic relations, and circuit court – family mediator and mentor. Ron is also federally certified and a mentor mediator for the Department of the Navy. Ron is a retired member of the Senior Executive Service from the US Patent and Trademark office.
Our Board
Executive Committee
Rev. Dr. James Kelly
President
Culpeper
Melanie Moline
Vice President
Warrenton
Noah Portugal
Treasurer
The Plains
Rev. Dr. Louise Stowe-Johns
Warrenton
Sergeant Adam Simpson
Warrenton
Jay Pinsky
Remington
Hon. Avelina Jacob (ret.)
Loudoun
Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center: Our History
Founded in 1990 by a group of civic-minded citizens, the Center’s services promote justice, non-violence and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
The Center was initially established as a satellite office of the Rappahannock Mediation Center of Fredericksburg, Virginia, when the Fauquier County Department of Social Services requested local parent-teen mediation services for at-risk youth and families. A Citizens’ Advisory Board was formed and mediation services quickly expanded to include neighborhood and business conflicts and disputes involving divorce and separation. By 1993, with start-up financial assistance from the Piedmont United Way and Virginia Law Foundation and donated office space, the organization received its charter and officially became the Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center.
Over the years, the Center broadened and expanded its services to meet the expressed dispute resolution needs of our local communities and has served thousands of citizens. It has been actively involved in the statewide growth of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and is highly regarded throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States for its high caliber of professionalism and as a leader in innovative program design and implementation. Dedicated, well-trained staff and volunteers are the essence of the Center’s success.
Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center, renamed Piedmont Peace Center, is a non-profit IRS 501(c) (3) organization and contributions are tax deductible.
