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We asked our CEO a few questions…

Why did you start BreakthroughADR?

As an attorney and mediator, I am often called to help resolve conflicts involving others. While working through these conflicts, I recognized that there were crucial steps that individuals could have taken to prevent their disputes from escalating. I saw a need to teach people active listening, effective communication, conflict de-escalation, and mediation skills. Think about the last time that you had a conflict and how you handled it. Would you have handled it differently if you had the techniques at your fingers to help you or a neutral and trusted advisor on call to help you weigh the options?

What impact do you want BreakthroughADR to have on the world?

I want BreakthroughADR to reduce personal conflict—whether at the workplace, home or anywhere else—by empowering individuals to become conflict resolvers. Conflicts lead to inefficiencies, the loss of good employees, stress on relationships and, at times, the involvement of law enforcement in non-emergency matters. Much of this can be addressed by people trained in conflict resolution. I started BreakthroughADR to be a source of creative solutions for training people how to navigate conflict and for being a trusted third party to help resolve conflicts. I want my company to provide options that people never knew existed.

Our Statements

Mission

We partner with our clients to provide exceptional conflict management solutions.

Vision

A world in which all people have the resources they need to resolve or manage conflict.

Values

We treat people with kindness, respect and integrity. We specialize in collaborative and facilitative problem-solving. We separate positions from interests, goals from emotions, and people from problems. We listen more than we talk and always exercise active listening.

Diversity

We strive to reflect the diversity and inclusion of the markets and communities that we serve. We utilize a worldwide network of mediators and trainers that bring a range of diverse voices and experiences to the table. We are certified as a Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) by the State of New York.

Meet Our CEO & FounderDamali Peterman

Lawyer. Mediator. Educator.

Damali Peterman's Bio

Who is Damali Peterman?

Damali Peterman, Esq., is the Founder, CEO and Chief Conflict Resolver of Breakthrough ADR LLC. Damali has extensive experience in corporate law, mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution. She is a highly sought after mediator and trainer for Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits and small businesses. Some notable clients include Google Cloud, Mastercard, District of Columbia Housing Authority, New York Police Department, New York Department of Education, CAMBA, New York Peace Institute, Hitotsubashi University, and Howard University School of Law.

Experience

Prior to starting BREAKTHROUGHADR, Damali was Assistant General Counsel at Deloitte LLP in the Engagements group and a senior corporate associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. At Weil, Damali was based in New York, but also spent time working in Weil’s Washington, D.C., Dallas, London and Shanghai offices. While employed by Weil, Damali completed a four-month secondment at Lawyer's Alliance for New York, the state's leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises.

Damali represents and advises businesses (large and small) and individuals in corporate and commercial matters. She has represented and advised some of the world’s largest companies in high profile corporate matters. She routinely negotiates with General Counsel and other senior executives on behalf of her clients, and delivers effective and innovative solutions. Damali approaches her clients’ issues from a holistic viewpoint and endeavors to both understand and solve the specific matter at hand, as well as advance the overall business goals of her clients.

Damali is an engaging and dynamic educator and public speaker. Her personable style and innovative and interactive approach make her a sought-after asset on both the speaking and training circuit, including at some of the world’s largest companies, educational institutions, and a variety of local organizations.

Education

Damali received her B.A. in English (with a Spanish minor) from Spelman College in 2000, her M.A. in International Policy Studies, with a focus in conflict resolution from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey in 2002, and her J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 2008. Damali has also studied in Mexico, Denmark, Japan and the Netherlands.

Community Service

Prior to attending law school, Damali was the Community Outreach Coordinator and then later the Assistant Director of an environmental and community-focused nonprofit in Costa Rica for 18 months. Damali also taught international negotiation, economics and politics during a summer term for the Global Young Leaders Program in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Damali is the Vice Chair board of directors of the New York Peace Institute, one of the largest civilian peacekeeping centers in the nation helping more than 10,000 people resolve their conflicts each year. Damali is a volunteer mediator, conflict coach and trainer for the New York Peace Institute.

Associations

  • Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program
  • 2019 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow
  • American Bar Association and its Dispute Resolution Section
  • New York City Bar Association and its Women in the Legal Profession Committee
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Recognition

Damali is currently being considered for a prestigious Fulbright Global Scholar Award to continue her teaching and research in the field of conflict resolution.

View Damali's Bio

Meet the Team

Ibrahim D.

Chief Technology Officer & Business Development Lead

A native Washingtonian, Ibrahim is a results driven professional with excellent communication skills.

Full Bio

A native Washingtonian, Ibrahim is a results driven professional with excellent communication skills. Demonstrated success and knowledgeable in providing friendly, thorough customer service to clients, families, and like-minded professionals. He possesses extensive knowledge in troubleshooting hardware and software issues. Proven to have the ability to foster strong relationships, recognize opportunities for improvement, eliminate deficiencies, and build strong consensus in favor of organizational objectives. Received his B.S. from Old Dominion University in Occupational & Technical Studies with a concentration in Industrial Technology. Ibrahim has previously worked with top Fortune 500 companies, such as ADP. Ibrahim admires Damali’s vision and he states that

“As time continues to pass, the accessibility of information will become more mainstream and more user-friendly. We need companies like Breakthrough ADR to come to the forefront and help insure that our society stays current with generational changes. One of the most effective ways to do so, is to equip individuals with the resources they need to resolve and manage conflict because some form of it will always be generationally consistent. Breakthrough has the potential to create that proactive domino effect.”

Fun Fact:

Ibrahim loves the idea of breaking through physical and psychological barriers. One of his favorite quotes is “Your limitations don’t exist in my world” by Eric Thomas

Read Full Bio

Lorraine M.

Intern - Blog Producer & Copywriter

Lorraine was born and raised in New York City where she acquired her fearless attitude and fast learning skills.

Full Bio

Lorraine was born and raised in New York City where she acquired her fearless attitude and fast learning skills. She takes an interest in all things fashion and make up related. Lorraine is a soon-to-be graduate from LaGuardia Community College and looks forward to begin at Baruch College in the fall as a Communications major with a concentration in Public Relations. She is very passionate about pursuing her career as a publicist and is confident that she has the personality and charm to achieve this goal. She has been a part of the public relationships club at LaGuardia Community College for two years and has participated in freelance publicist work for local start-up brands. She thrives at creating effective communication between the audience and the organization and tries to do so at Breakthrough ADR where she is responsible for writing compelling and interesting blog entries that not only capture Damali Peterman's voice, but also relate to the general public. She wishes to make the world more aware of all the amazing things happening at Breakthrough ADR and creating positive sources of guidance for conflict resolution in order to create a more understanding community and world.

Fun Fact:

Lorraine loves to travel and has visited quite a few countries including Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Spain. She loves reading Sci- Fi and is a Game of Thrones fanatic.

Read Full Bio

Rebecca S.

Intern - Podcast Producer

Rebecca started her journey all the way from Nepal and continues to strive for what she has always dreamed of.

Full Bio

Rebecca started her journey all the way from Nepal and continues to strive for what she has always dreamed of. To be a creator; a change maker. Currently pursuing her associates degree in Film and Television from LaGuardia Community College, she stepped into the field of media right after high school and worked as Social Media Analyst for a highly reputed digital marketing agency of Nepal, ads!. With a vision to enlighten people with positivity and empowerment she worked as an intern for NYFAF (New York Forum of Amazigh Film), an annual film festival held in LAGCC where she also participated as a speaker on women empowerment and metoo movement. She is also involved with LPAC (LaGuardia Performing Arts Center) for two years and has been working there as an usher. With numerous achievements and experiences in the field of media she is now a Podcast Producer for Breakthrough ADR and considers it to be one of the highest achievements of her life.

“To make the change, be the change"

is what she believes in and her real journey has only just begun.

Fun Fact:

Always ready to explore and learn new things, Rebecca also loves to sing and has a passion for photography where she has over 9000 followers on instagram.  

 

Read Full Bio

Preserving Relationships

Building Businesses

Achieving Goals

Creating Solutions

Get in Touch

Interested in more information about BreakthroughADR’s services?

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"Damali was particularly helpful in stepping in with incisive corrections on the spot, while we were roleplaying. She was quick, kind, accurate, and constructive!"
Business School Candidate Advanced Mediation Training
"I liked how she was able to deal with us each as individuals and not have a cookie cutter sense of the class. even though we were far away I felt a personal touch and that the diversity of our group was taken into account."
TraineeAdvanced Mediation Training
"The instructor put me at ease and created a great atmosphere during the classes, which helped the practice and development of my skills. I could appreciate a more precise feedback at the end on the areas to improve, the points to be careful about and, the strengths and weaknesses as well."
TraineeAdvanced Mediation Training
“Damali is an amazing asset to this program. We’re definitely lucky to have had such a supportive, fun instructor! She needs to be cloned for some of our other training sessions.”
TraineeBasic Mediation Training
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