About Us
Deborah Jay Levy JD, MSW, MPH
Executive Director
Deborah Levy has been a Mediator since 2005 with The Congress of Neutrals and mediates with the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Among the civil matters mediated, her specialty is unlawful detainers where she uses her legal, mediation and counseling skills to reconcile differences and negotiate settlements between parties. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from University of California Los Angeles, a Master’s degree in Public Health from The Johns Hopkins University and a Law degree from John F Kennedy University. Deborah has interned and clerked with the US House of Representative’s Committee on Aging, the Veteran’s Administration, Contra Costa Court Superior Court Probate Department and JFKU’s Elder Law Clinic. She has held positions as Health Policy Analyst with the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Clinical Social Worker with Mt Diablo Rehabilitation Center, Geriatric Case Manager with Diablo Valley Foundation for the Aging. She has been a consultant with two Senior “Villages” in the Bay area whose primary mission is to help seniors age in place. She is currently on the Board of Directors of Contra Costa Senior Legal Services.
Alice Forsyth, MBA.
Chief Financial Officer/Executive Administrator
After many years as Controller and HR Director in the aerospace industry, Alice Forsyth decided it is time to venture out to different areas of the workforce. Mediation is more important than ever in community dispute resolution. Knowing that she is part of a team that provides excellent knowledge to members of the community gives her a sense of great accomplishment. It is a satisfying feeling to be affiliated with a group that provides peaceful resolution to conflicts.
Alice holds an MBA from the University of Bamberg, Germany.
She enjoys travel, hiking with her two dogs, cooking, and spending time with the family.
Alba Zavala, JD
Family Law Mediation and Contempt Mediation Coordinator
Alba Zavala has been working in the family law field since 2018 when she worked as a Law Clerk for Scramstad Law, P.C. Further, she received a Major in Law in 2013 from the University of San Nicolas de Hidalgo, located in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. A short time after completing her major in law in Mexico she moved back to the United States and then pursued her Juris doctorate degree from John F. Kennedy University graduating in 2020. Alba is a fluent Spanish speaker. She was first acquainted with the Congress of Neutrals through a training class offered in law school back in 2017. Officially, Alba has been a Mediator with The Congress of Neutrals since April 2020 and mediates with the Contra Costa County Superior Court. She has experience mediating: unlawful detainers, civil harassment, restraining orders and family law matters. Alba Zavala is also the CEO of Prempeh & Zavala Legal Document Services. Which is a Black-, Latina and women-owned business that provides legal document services to the masses with the goal of helping to close the justice gap.
On her free time Alba enjoys alternating between her many hobbies. She enjoys crocheting toys for her daughter, making jewelry, canvas painting, and spending time at the gym.
Emma Humphris, PhD.
Mediation Intake Coordinator
Over the past decade, Emma has developed expertise in conflict resolution, working with individuals, communities, and organizations across the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe. She mediates landlord-tenant disputes in U.S. courtrooms with the Congress of Neutrals and has helped international organizations with training on conflict resolution and human rights, including work with the United Nations. Her academic background focuses on public safety and restorative justice, shaping her approach to resolving conflicts and supporting peacebuilding efforts internationally. Emma holds a PhD from Stanford University and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Oxford University. When not reading her favorite poetry book, she enjoys exploring the wilderness through rock climbing or backpacking.
Joann Martinez, MS
Director of Private Mediations
Joann is a Bay Area Native who has been married for 22 years to her sweetheart, has four lovely children and three fur babies. She is an alumna of University of San Francisco, Grand Canyon University Graduate School, Harvard University’s Negotiations Mastery program, and board member of The Congress of Neutrals.
Joann has spent the last decade of her career caring for and serving extremely vulnerable people and neglected foster children. As a former Investigator of Crimes Committed Against Children, a licensed counselor to victims and witnesses of crime and Director of the Bay Area’s largest homeless shelter for women and children, Joann has impacted thousands of lives. Joann is also licensed realtor, using her keen negotiation skills and advocacy are strong suits for all her clients’ best interests.
Board of Directors
Bill Waterman, JD
Najwa Sabrie, JD
Cary McReynolds, JD, Board Chair, Secretary
Vahista Falahati, JD
Judy Bornstein, MBA, MDR, Treasurer
Joann Martinez, MS
Mediators
Judy Bornstein, MBA, MDR
Jeffrey Buck, JD
Helen Chen, JD, MS
Mark Freeman, JD
Michael Freedman, JD
Matthew Gluck JD
Daphne Golliher, JD
Emma Humphris PhD
Farrah Hussein, JD
Carol Kingsley, JD
Jim Krampf
Johanna Kwasnewski, JD
Kim Laughton MBA
Deborah Levy JD, MSW, MPH
Peter Linn, JD
Joel Mackey, JD, MA
Arabelle Malinis, JD
Joann Martinez, MS
Todd McLean, JD
Jordan Meyer, JD
Karl Molineux, JD
Leo Murphy, JD
Delia Pedroza
Najwa Sabrie, JD
Dan Sandman, JD
Haleh Shahmohammadi, JD
Brent Tarnow JD
Scott Tate JD
Stephanie Tobosa-Smit, JD
Bill Waterman, JD
Alba Zavala, JD