Who We Are

Alexandria Skinner

Divorce Mediation, Parenting and Custody Mediation, Elder Mediation, Church Congregation Mediation and Mediation for Faith Communities, Christian Conflict Transformation

Alexandria Skinner has devoted her professional life to assisting people who sincerely hope to resolve difficult conflict. Having worked on many hotly contested cases as an attorney, Skinner understands the stress, costs, damage to relationships, disempowerment, and limits of options available through litigation and court procedures. Skinner’s clients can be assured that she will work creatively and earnestly to help them address serious conflict in ways that are less damaging, result in workable solutions, and which set the stage for a better future.

Skinner has developed an extensive toolbox of skills in conflict resolution that can be employed as needed to help clients negotiate challenging conflict. In addition to her experience as an attorney, Skinner’s study of mediation and alternative dispute resolution includes:

Divorce Mediation Training (Carl Schneider, Washington, D.C.);
Conflict Transformation for Church Congregations (Richard Blackburn, Chicago);
She Negotiates! course (Victoria Pynchon, Los Angeles);
Interdisciplinary Family Collaborative Practice Training (S.C. Bar et al.);
Special Education Meeting Facilitation Training (Cotton Harness, Charleston);
Advanced Training in Elder Mediation (Zena Zumeta and Susan Butterwick, Chicago);
Community Mediation Training (Beth Padgett, Columbia, SC);
Arbitrator Training (S.C. Bar);
Circuit Court Mediator Training (S.C. Bar);
Christian Peacemaking Principles (Christian Legal Society and personal study).

Skinner’s certifications and volunteer service include:

Alexandria Skinner

Licensed attorney (admitted in the state and federal courts of South Carolina);
Collaborative Professional certified by IACP (attorney and mediator);
Circuit Court Mediator certified by S.C. Board of Arbitrator & Mediator Certification;
Practitioner member of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR);
Volunteer chair for the Program Committee of the Elder Decisions section of ACR;
Volunteer mediator for the Community Mediation Center;
Volunteer chair for the Peacemaking Committee of Trinity Presbytery.

As a mediator, Skinner prefers to utilize transformative, interest based, and systems oriented tools (in addition to the more commonly encountered evaluative and facilitative techniques) to help parties gain insight into the needs driving conflict and communicate in ways that build bridges rather than barriers. Skinner helps clients uncover and then communicate more clearly about their values and true needs, so that root causes of conflict can be addressed and true goals reached. Skinner is a full service conflict consultant, focusing primarily on conflict involving families (both divorcing couples and extended families), businesses, churches, and schools – all cases where people ideally will seek to “tackle problems without tackling each other”.™

Mark Buchan

Mediation for Churches and Faith Communities, Christian Conflict Transformation, Pastoral Counseling, Divorce and Family Mediation

Mark Buchan is a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since his ordination in 1994 Mark has served parishes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and South Carolina, both as a called pastor and an interim pastor.

Mark is a graduate of the Mediation Skills Training Institute of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center and received his certification in 2003. Since then he has served as a faith-based mediator for churches on the congregational level, in situations calling for conflict transformation between individuals, and in multi-party disputes.

Since 2001 Mark has been a participant in the Advanced Clergy Clinic in Family Emotional Process, a seminar which applies Bowen Systems Theory to the management of conflict in communal settings such as congregations, businesses and families. In 2003 he became a consultant and began offering training and workshops in conflict transformation and the dynamics of emotional systems for church leaders and congregations.

Mark currently serves as a stated supply pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Johnston, SC and a volunteer at the Community Mediation Center in Columbia, SC. He lives in Columbia, with his spouse, Nancy, and their two children, Ross – 14, and Emi – 12.

Beth Padgett

General Mediation, Employment Mediation, Family and Elder Mediation, Church Congregation Mediation and Mediation for Faith Communities, Christian Conflict Transformation

Beth Padgett has worked for years as a professional civil and family mediator. She continues to work as the Executive Director of the Community Mediation Center in Columbia, which serves families and community agencies on a sliding fee scale.

Beth earned two degrees from the University of South Carolina: a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Masters of Education. She also earned a Master of Arts in Human Behavior and Conflict Management from Columbia College. Beth has a background in education, mental health and addiction treatment services, domestic violence counseling, as well as curriculum and program development in these disciplines.

Other Mediators

Other mediators may be engaged by Just Mediation, LLC, in particular cases, with care to match up client needs with particular skills and personalities of the mediators. Every mediator associated with Just Mediation, LLC, will have the skill and training to mediate your case effectively and efficiently. With the exception of interns who may be working under supervision, each has an advanced degree related to his or her field of expertise as well as at least 100 hours of training in mediation and significant experience mediating cases. Additionally, mediators bring other skills to the table including translation skills and significant job experience working in some of the technical fields involved in the subject matter of the mediation.