Biography
Mary Ellen Wolfe created CIVIL DIALOGUE in 2001 to provide facilitation, mediation, and organizational problem solving services. Building on more than 25 years experience as a civic educator, public policy analyst, and water resource education program director, Civil Dialogue offers process assistance to meet the conflict management and meeting design needs of individuals, groups, public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Services available include facilitation, mediation, training, public process design, and organizational problem solving.
In addition to being principal of CIVIL DIALOGUE, Mary Ellen is also an Associate with the Center for Collaborative Solutions, a group of dispute resolution professionals with extensive training and experience in the broad spectrum of dispute resolution processes. From 2001 to 2005, she was Program Director of the Community Mediation Center in Bozeman, where she coordinated volunteer mediation for Gallatin County Justice Court and she initiated community Youth Justice Councils.
From 1991 to 2001, Mary Ellen directed the Montana Watercourse, a statewide water resource education program at Montana State University. Under her leadership, the Montana Watercourse included three statewide educational programs:
- “Know Your Watershed” a watershed education initiative that convened community-based public dialogue and educational workshops in 13 watersheds in Montana;
- Montana Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project that improved knowledge of water quality and built the capacities of school teachers, watershed groups, Conservation Districts and nonprofit organizations to monitor local water quality;
- Project WET Montana, (Water Education for Teachers), a training program and local volunteer network of 32 K-12 teachers to improve knowledge and train teachers in classroom-ready water education activities.
In 2002, Mary Ellen received the Environmental Achievement Award from EPA Region 8 for her regional watershed education and leadership. For “outstanding leadership in collaboration to improve watersheds in Montana and across the region” she received the 2003 National Soil and Water Conservation Society Honor Award in July 30, 2003.
Mary Ellen also authored A Landowner’s Guide to Western Water Rights, which was the EdPress Gold Award Winner in 1997.
