Adina T. Laver, Emcee
MBA, M.Ed, CPC, Founder of Divorce Essentials & Companion Coach and CEO and Chief Curiosity officer of Courage to be Curious
Divorce Essentials is a specialized divorce coaching and support service for those who are considering, in the midst of, or post-divorce and are committed to a healthy path for reclaiming their lives. Courage to be Curious, a distinctive personal development company dedicated to enhancing the quality and potential of the human experience by inspiring and empowering those on the path to brilliance to act courageously and live authentically. Having thought for most of her life that she was hopelessly erratic and chronically fickle, hopping from interest to interest, academic pursuit to academic pursuit, job to job, and even country to country for a while, Adina finally realized that she was not indecisive but rather insatiably curious.
Alicia Kelly
LL.M, J.D., Distinguished Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute, Delaware Law School of Widener University
Alicia Kelly, a Distinguished Professor of Law at the Delaware Law School of Widener University, is an expert in Family Law, Property Law and Elder Law. Professor Kelly’s scholarship focuses on family relationships, economic behavior, inequality, and gender. Her work addresses laws and policies concerning economic relations laws for married and unmarried couples, as well as for inter-generational family relationships, including the elder care system. She is co-author of two new textbooks that draw on best practices for legal education and weave in real world lawyering problems and documents, as well as policy questions that impact the law’s development.
Professor Kelly holds an LL.M. in Legal Education from Temple University School of Law, where she was an Abraham L. Freedman Fellow and Lecturer of Law, and also earned her B.A. (magna cum laude) and her J.D. (cum laude) from Temple University.
Anna Balfour
AFBPsS BCCP LPC, Chartered Psychologist. DClin Psych., Potential Difference LLC
Anna has been practicing as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist for over 30 years, after training at Oxford, England. Since 1997 she has also been practicing as a Schema Therapist and has recently launched the Schema therapy Center in Pennsylvania. She worked in the UK in the National Health Service; Amsterdam working with addicts and prostitutes; Bogota, Columbia outreach to street children; and in Liberia, West Africa following the civil war where she designed and implemented a war trauma focused project for a Swiss relief organization. Since moving to the USA in 2006, Anna has developed her own private practice, and is continually inspired as she works with people to become all they were created to be and to do. Anna’s work with adults focuses on couples and individuals who often describe themselves as ‘stuck’.
Craig Weiss
PH.D.
Craig Weiss has been working with children, adults, couples and families for over 30 years. After performing hundreds of child custody and other domestic forensic evaluations and testifying as an expert witness in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and California, he finally realized the litigated (adversarial) system often does more harm than good in matters of child custody and divorce. For the past five years he is proud to be a Divorce Coach and member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals, the Bucks County Collaborative Law Group and the Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Cris Pastore
Co-founder and Managing attorney-mediator of Main Line Family Law Center
Crispino M. Pastore has passionately dedicated his entire legal career to personalized client service in a variety of legal settings. He has always believed that every client deserves a sincere lawyer who will carefully listen to their unique needs, help them find the most reasonable and practical resolution, and exceed the client’s expectations. Crispino brings to his practice over 20 years of valuable legal experience and perspective.
Diana Schimmel Avena
Partner and Attorney, Previtera & Schimmel, LLC
Diana opened Schimmel Family Law in early 2013 serving clients in all areas of family law including divorce, custody, support, division of marital assets, prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, enforcement of agreements, modification of agreements, same sex rights, domestic violence, paternity and adoption. In July 2016, Diana merged her solo practice and formed Previtera & Schimmel, LLC. Before starting her own firm, Diana worked as a Child Advocate Attorney for the Defender Association of Philadelphia in its Child Advocacy Unit. Here, she honed her courtroom presence, and represented numerous dependent children, advocating both for their needs and best interests. Diana also has experience in mediation, and is a member of the Bar in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Hilary Katz
MSW, LCSW
Hilary Katz is a Clinical and School Certified Social Worker who has provided individual, group, couples and family therapy in school and private practice settings for 20 years. Hilary is currently a part of group practice called Equilibria Psychological and Consultation Services where she utilize an interactive, strength-based treatment model to address each individual's set of unique issues. In addition to providing therapy, Hilary is a frequent contributor to Philadelphia Family Magazine, Metrokids, and Hercampus.com. Hilary also periodically provides workshops in schools as well as agencies on various topics related to behavioral health, with a focus on using Collaborative Problem Solving to increase effective communication with children and adolescents.
Jeff Weaver
CDLPÒ, RCS-DÔ, Loan Officer, Licensed Realtor, American Residential Lending
For over a decade, Jeff has worked as a licensed and a professional mortgage lender. His experience on both the real estate side and the finance side is a winning combination for clients, bringing them a unique perspective and extensive knowledge of the housing market. This knowledge is helping his clients understand that in divorce, the house is a complicated asset. Jeff and his team provide free help in putting the pieces of the puzzle together when it comes to the house so that clients can make an informed decisions.
Jerry Davidse
CFP®, Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Portfolio Manager
Jerry has worked with the leading families in the Philadelphia area as a wealth manager since 2001. Backed by the vast resources and specialists at Merrill Lynch, Jerry works with clients on wealth planning, custom investment portfolios and risk management strategies. He believes in clear communication with clients and provides simple recommendations for complex financial decisions.
Jerry was awarded the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification in 2005.
John Culhane
J.D., Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute, Delaware Law School of Widener University
John Culhane is Professor of Law, H. Albert Young Fellow in Constitutional Law, and Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute at Widener University School of Law, and a contributing writer for Slate Magazine.
He is co-author of “Same-Sex Legal Kit for Dummies,” editor and a contributor to “Reconsidering Law and Policy Debates: A Public Health Perspective,” and the author of some three dozen law review articles on a wide range of topics, including: the rights of LGBT couples; compensation of victims of mass disasters; the public health implications of such disparate issues as sports-related concussions, bullying, same-sex marriages, and vaccine compensation policy; and a wide range of tort law issues (including informed consent, product liability, and educational malpractice). He is currently completing work on a book about the history and possible future of various new forms of legal statuses, including civil unions and domestic partnerships, and working with colleague Alicia Kelly on a digital casebook replacement for Family Law.
Joslyn Ewart
CFP®, Founding Principal, Entrust Financial LLC
Joselyn’s deepest passion is to help others make the right choices at pivotal times in their lives, preferably without financial concerns. This long-held value led to the founding of Entrust Financial LLC® in 2000 and also inspired her latest endeavor, the writing of my book, "Balancing Act: Wealth Management Straight Talk for Women." She and her team not only financially advise our clients, they partner with them, offering assistance and guidance as they navigate life's expected and unexpected events. When not at work, Joselyn enjoys dedicating her time to the community and the arts. She can be found championing women to serve in leadership roles, and volunteering service to Temple University's Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts.
Judy Sciaky
CCPS, RICP, Founder of AP&G College Planning and AP&G Financial, LLC
Judy Sciaky is a Certified College Planning Specialist (CCPS) and a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP). In 2011, she founded AP&G College Planning and its parent company AP&G Financial, LLC to help families send their kids to college without going broke and with the ability to have a retirement, too. Judy focuses her college planning practice on families going through divorce with college bound children. The complexities of planning and funding college are numerous for intact families, but when divorce is thrown into the mix, the complexities multiply. The divorce professional community including, lawyers, mediators and financial advisors are unaware of how colleges assess different assets and sources of income. Without that understanding, they can unintentionally create divorce settlements that can add tens of thousands of dollars a year to their clients’ college bottom line.
Julie Terrana
CDFA ™, Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch
Julie’s practice focuses on serving individuals who are undergoing a transition in their life; such as divorce, retirement, new career, or have received an inheritance. She is committed to building a strong, lasting relationship with her clients by delivering goal-oriented results and exceptional client service. Julie is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ™ CDFA, a credential that is presented exclusively to individuals trained to provide advice and help individuals build a wealth management strategy that can address short term needs and long term objectives post-divorce. Julie founded Transformation Tuesday in July, 2015, offering free, interactive sessions between guests and divorce experts. Julie is the recipient of the Five Star Wealth Management award in 2015.
Katrina Volker
Professional Liason, OurFamilyWizard®
Katrina has been a professional liaison for the OurFamilyWizard® website for five years. Her role includes educating Judges, lawyers, and other family law professionals on the online tools that can be utilized to benefit and monitor the parental communication process in high conflict cases. Recent speaking engagements include the Ontario Court of Justice, West LegalEdcenter, AFCC Annual Conference, Miami-Dade County Bar and Bench, and Tacoma County Bar and Bench.
Hon. Kelly Wall
A.L.J.
Judge Kelly C. Wall assumed her judicial duties on the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County on January 4, 2010, and was appointed Administrative Judge of the Family Bench in January of 2013. Judge Wall presides over domestic matters, civil arguments, criminal and pre-immigration matters and Protection from abuse, sexual violence and intimidation cases. Judge Wall was an appointed member of the Montgomery County Election Board in 2011 and currently serves as liaison for the Mediation Advisory Board.
Larry Schwab
M.F.T., L.M.F.T.
H. Laurence Schwab has thirty years of experience as a marriage and family therapist in private practice, as well clinic and hospital settings, and has worked with hundreds of couples. These experiences have created the foundation for his book, Navigating Your Relationship: A Voyage for Couples. A married father of three grown children with three grandchildren, he also supervises other therapists and conducts men’s groups and leadership retreats in the greater Philadelphia area.
Max Rivers
The Marriage Mediator
Max Rivers trained as mediator in 2003 at The Mediation and Training Collaborative in Greenfield, MA; and then apprenticed in small claims court for two years in Northampton, MA. He was also certified in Children in Need Of Services Mediation from TMTC. Then he studied The Basics of Non-Violent Communication; and Intermediate NVC with Marshall Rosenberg at Omega; and was certified in Train the Trainer and Negotiation Training (Mediation Works Inc., Boston), Divorce Mediation (Berkshire Mediation, Pittsfield, MA) and Victim Offender Dialogs (Brattleboro Community Justice Center). Over the last 15 years of applying NVC Mediation to couples in conflict he pioneered what would eventually come to be called “The Teamwork Mediation Method,” the topic of his forthcoming book “Tired of Having the Same Old Argument?” He runs workshops and trainings across the country on how to use Embodied NVC in intimate relationships and is regularly interviewed for radio and newspapers on his Teamwork Method, a six session process for teaching couples and families how to mediate their own conflicts.
Michael Bertin
Partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP
Michael E. Bertin is a Philadelphia based family law attorney who focuses his practice on child custody and divorce including the negotiation and litigation of domestic relations cases, divorce, custody, support, alimony, property distribution, prenuptial agreements and related issues. Mr. Bertin also maintains an office in Conshohocken, PA located in the heart of the Main Line.
Divorce and child custody issues in particular are some of the most emotional and complex of all the legal issues facing people today. Mr. Bertin provides his clients with step-by-step guidance to reach resolutions that protect the interests of his clients and their children.
Mr. Bertin, an in-demand author, co-wrote the book on Pennsylvania child custody law. His book, Pennsylvania Child Custody Law, Practice, and Procedure, consists of carefully condensed law and forms that keeps attorneys and the courts current on all areas of Pennsylvania child custody law.
Nancy Vanore
MSN, APRN, BC, CISD, LLC
For over 20 years, Nancy Vanore has helped clients to develop effective methods of communication and personal empowerment. Nancy’s areas of specialty include: developing communication strategies focused on improving relationships in step-families/blended families and for individuals and couples. Additional areas of treatment include: counseling divorce/separation and break-up issues, infidelity, restructuring life following a loss, catastrophic event, managing cancer survivorship and developing coping strategies following life transitions (loss of job/graduating from college), supportive treatment for infertility struggles, as well as, treatment for anxiety, depression, and stress. Nancy’s extensive nursing background, coupled with her Masters Degree therapy training and experience, have given her a deeper depth of empathy and understanding of life's challenges.
Pamela Elaine Nichols
MHS, Author, Speaker, Producer
Pamela Elaine is a speaker, author, producer and singer. She has appeared on several radio and news spots to promote health, happiness and success for women, particularly mothers. She appeared as a guest on the Dr. Oz Show to share her story about building her business, Destined for Greatness Enterprises, Inc., as a healthy way to bounce back from divorce. Her first book, Muddy High Heels: 14 Lessons Learned From My Breakdown, Breakup and Breakthrough, explores the deep reason she, like many mothers, did not make her happiness and success a priority. Pamela Elaine is co-writer and vocal artist for three original songs, and co-producer of a 3-part “Resilient Beauties” episode that appeared on public television. She is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (an expert in business process improvement), a triathlete and half- marathoner.
Ruth Feinblum Conviser
MSW, Growth Solutions Counseling
When Ruth was age eight, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, after a remission, her mother passed away. No amount of therapy could make that experience easy or painless. But the support of her family therapist helped her cope with the loss. She channeled that experience into helping people coping with adversity and helping them to find solutions growth from those experiences. She has a Masters in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College. She holds a License in Clinical Social Work and a Post-Masters Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Bryn Mawr College. Prior to founding Growth Solutions Counseling, she worked in the public mental health system for seven years. She currently have a full time private practice and teach the Cognitive Therapy Certificate at Bryn Mawr College. Ruth helps people overcome anxiety, improve the communication in their relationship and if the relationship isn't a fit, she helps people have a healthy divorce.
Sandi Sherr
M.Ed., Parenting Mediator, Mainline Family Law Center
Working with families is Sandi’s forte. She is dedicated to making them healthy and strong, and keeping them that way, no matter their design. Her M.Ed. (+30) in Special Education and Psycholinguistics has taken her to practically every kind of setting devoted to working with children and their families or caregivers during a decades’ long career. Her range of psycho-educational experience includes parenting education; adult behavior therapy; adoption counseling; foster care; child development; adolescent special needs; early childhood intervention; and parenting her own three children. Sandi sees the positive first; she recognizes strengths and uses them to bolster confidence and achieve outcome objectives. Always focused on the best interests of children, Sandi brings her energy for parenting—with all its emotional, educational, and social challenges—to benefit families who are parenting apart.
Shelby Riley
Owner of Shelby Riley, LMFT and Associates (SR&A)
Shelby Riley has been practicing as a licensed marriage and family therapist for over fifteen years and specializes in working with couples, adolescents, and using sand tray and play therapy with young children. In addition to seeing clients, Ms. Riley presents trainings and workshops for the public and for other mental health professionals, and also provides clinical supervision and professional practice building coaching to other therapists. She is the author of two books: Five Secrets to Better Communication, and Assignments for Couples, a workbook to increase intimacy and relationship satisfaction.
Stephanie McCullough
M.A., Founder and CEO, Sofia Financial
Stephanie founded Sofia Financial in 2011 after 14 years as a financial advisor, with the goal to empower women to make wise financial decisions, address their areas of money stress, and free up their time and mental energy to spend on the things that are truly important. Before transitioning into financial services, Stephanie had a wide variety of jobs, including working at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC; teaching people more than twice her age how to confidently handle at the Annapolis Sailing School; and organizing stimulating educational events for high school students.
She earned an M.A. in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Duke University. She recently earned a Certificate in Behavioral Finance from Duke. She holds licenses for securities sales, as well as life and health insurance.
Stephanie Newberg
LCSW, M.Ed.
Stephanie Newberg is a licensed psychotherapist and Adjunct Professor and clinical Supervisor, at the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. In addition, she is in private practice in Bryn Mawr, PA providing individual, family psychotherapy, and co-parenting counseling. Stephanie specializes in helping families navigate the transition and stressors around separation and divorce. She helps families learn to communicate and cooperate in a more effective and child focused manner. Stephanie also does child custody evaluations and serves as a consultant to public and private schools for topics relating to adolescent and child development, bullying, parenting skills and support, and mental health issues. She has more than 20 years of experience and has authored numerous publications and made many media appearances about these topics.
Stu Webb
J.D., Founder of Collaborative Law
Stuart G. Webb invented collaborative law in 1990. He trains and lectures throughout North America and Europe and has appeared on the "CBS Evening News" and in "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal".
Tara Eisenhard
Author, Coach, Mediator, Relative Evolutions
Tara Eisenhard is an author, speaker, coach and mediator with a passion for healthy and happy divorces. Tara is the author of the book The D-Word: Divorce Through a Child’s Eyes as well as the GOOD Divorce™ Principles and the blog Relative Evolutions. She currently writes for DivorceForce and contributes to the Huffington Post. Her work has been featured by Divorcedmoms.com, Family Affaires, Divorced Women Online, Stepmom Magazine and MariaShriver.com. In her community, Tara leads a local Divorce Encouragement group. Tara is also Board Vice President of Neighborhood Dispute Settlement in Harrisburg.
Walter A. Reed
J.D., CFP, CDFA, Principal at Fairman Group Family Office
Walter is a Principal in the Tax Department of Fairman Group Family Office located in Berwyn, PA. He's been involved in the financial/tax aspects of divorce for several years, and has handled a handful of divorce cases from his days as a practicing attorney.
William J. Doherty
P.HD.
Keynote Speaker bio
MBA, M.Ed, CPC, Founder of Divorce Essentials & Companion Coach and CEO and Chief Curiosity officer of Courage to be Curious
Divorce Essentials is a specialized divorce coaching and support service for those who are considering, in the midst of, or post-divorce and are committed to a healthy path for reclaiming their lives. Courage to be Curious, a distinctive personal development company dedicated to enhancing the quality and potential of the human experience by inspiring and empowering those on the path to brilliance to act courageously and live authentically. Having thought for most of her life that she was hopelessly erratic and chronically fickle, hopping from interest to interest, academic pursuit to academic pursuit, job to job, and even country to country for a while, Adina finally realized that she was not indecisive but rather insatiably curious.
Alicia Kelly
LL.M, J.D., Distinguished Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute, Delaware Law School of Widener University
Alicia Kelly, a Distinguished Professor of Law at the Delaware Law School of Widener University, is an expert in Family Law, Property Law and Elder Law. Professor Kelly’s scholarship focuses on family relationships, economic behavior, inequality, and gender. Her work addresses laws and policies concerning economic relations laws for married and unmarried couples, as well as for inter-generational family relationships, including the elder care system. She is co-author of two new textbooks that draw on best practices for legal education and weave in real world lawyering problems and documents, as well as policy questions that impact the law’s development.
Professor Kelly holds an LL.M. in Legal Education from Temple University School of Law, where she was an Abraham L. Freedman Fellow and Lecturer of Law, and also earned her B.A. (magna cum laude) and her J.D. (cum laude) from Temple University.
Anna Balfour
AFBPsS BCCP LPC, Chartered Psychologist. DClin Psych., Potential Difference LLC
Anna has been practicing as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist for over 30 years, after training at Oxford, England. Since 1997 she has also been practicing as a Schema Therapist and has recently launched the Schema therapy Center in Pennsylvania. She worked in the UK in the National Health Service; Amsterdam working with addicts and prostitutes; Bogota, Columbia outreach to street children; and in Liberia, West Africa following the civil war where she designed and implemented a war trauma focused project for a Swiss relief organization. Since moving to the USA in 2006, Anna has developed her own private practice, and is continually inspired as she works with people to become all they were created to be and to do. Anna’s work with adults focuses on couples and individuals who often describe themselves as ‘stuck’.
Craig Weiss
PH.D.
Craig Weiss has been working with children, adults, couples and families for over 30 years. After performing hundreds of child custody and other domestic forensic evaluations and testifying as an expert witness in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and California, he finally realized the litigated (adversarial) system often does more harm than good in matters of child custody and divorce. For the past five years he is proud to be a Divorce Coach and member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals, the Bucks County Collaborative Law Group and the Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Cris Pastore
Co-founder and Managing attorney-mediator of Main Line Family Law Center
Crispino M. Pastore has passionately dedicated his entire legal career to personalized client service in a variety of legal settings. He has always believed that every client deserves a sincere lawyer who will carefully listen to their unique needs, help them find the most reasonable and practical resolution, and exceed the client’s expectations. Crispino brings to his practice over 20 years of valuable legal experience and perspective.
Diana Schimmel Avena
Partner and Attorney, Previtera & Schimmel, LLC
Diana opened Schimmel Family Law in early 2013 serving clients in all areas of family law including divorce, custody, support, division of marital assets, prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, enforcement of agreements, modification of agreements, same sex rights, domestic violence, paternity and adoption. In July 2016, Diana merged her solo practice and formed Previtera & Schimmel, LLC. Before starting her own firm, Diana worked as a Child Advocate Attorney for the Defender Association of Philadelphia in its Child Advocacy Unit. Here, she honed her courtroom presence, and represented numerous dependent children, advocating both for their needs and best interests. Diana also has experience in mediation, and is a member of the Bar in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Hilary Katz
MSW, LCSW
Hilary Katz is a Clinical and School Certified Social Worker who has provided individual, group, couples and family therapy in school and private practice settings for 20 years. Hilary is currently a part of group practice called Equilibria Psychological and Consultation Services where she utilize an interactive, strength-based treatment model to address each individual's set of unique issues. In addition to providing therapy, Hilary is a frequent contributor to Philadelphia Family Magazine, Metrokids, and Hercampus.com. Hilary also periodically provides workshops in schools as well as agencies on various topics related to behavioral health, with a focus on using Collaborative Problem Solving to increase effective communication with children and adolescents.
Jeff Weaver
CDLPÒ, RCS-DÔ, Loan Officer, Licensed Realtor, American Residential Lending
For over a decade, Jeff has worked as a licensed and a professional mortgage lender. His experience on both the real estate side and the finance side is a winning combination for clients, bringing them a unique perspective and extensive knowledge of the housing market. This knowledge is helping his clients understand that in divorce, the house is a complicated asset. Jeff and his team provide free help in putting the pieces of the puzzle together when it comes to the house so that clients can make an informed decisions.
Jerry Davidse
CFP®, Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Portfolio Manager
Jerry has worked with the leading families in the Philadelphia area as a wealth manager since 2001. Backed by the vast resources and specialists at Merrill Lynch, Jerry works with clients on wealth planning, custom investment portfolios and risk management strategies. He believes in clear communication with clients and provides simple recommendations for complex financial decisions.
Jerry was awarded the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification in 2005.
John Culhane
J.D., Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute, Delaware Law School of Widener University
John Culhane is Professor of Law, H. Albert Young Fellow in Constitutional Law, and Co-Director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute at Widener University School of Law, and a contributing writer for Slate Magazine.
He is co-author of “Same-Sex Legal Kit for Dummies,” editor and a contributor to “Reconsidering Law and Policy Debates: A Public Health Perspective,” and the author of some three dozen law review articles on a wide range of topics, including: the rights of LGBT couples; compensation of victims of mass disasters; the public health implications of such disparate issues as sports-related concussions, bullying, same-sex marriages, and vaccine compensation policy; and a wide range of tort law issues (including informed consent, product liability, and educational malpractice). He is currently completing work on a book about the history and possible future of various new forms of legal statuses, including civil unions and domestic partnerships, and working with colleague Alicia Kelly on a digital casebook replacement for Family Law.
Joslyn Ewart
CFP®, Founding Principal, Entrust Financial LLC
Joselyn’s deepest passion is to help others make the right choices at pivotal times in their lives, preferably without financial concerns. This long-held value led to the founding of Entrust Financial LLC® in 2000 and also inspired her latest endeavor, the writing of my book, "Balancing Act: Wealth Management Straight Talk for Women." She and her team not only financially advise our clients, they partner with them, offering assistance and guidance as they navigate life's expected and unexpected events. When not at work, Joselyn enjoys dedicating her time to the community and the arts. She can be found championing women to serve in leadership roles, and volunteering service to Temple University's Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts.
Judy Sciaky
CCPS, RICP, Founder of AP&G College Planning and AP&G Financial, LLC
Judy Sciaky is a Certified College Planning Specialist (CCPS) and a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP). In 2011, she founded AP&G College Planning and its parent company AP&G Financial, LLC to help families send their kids to college without going broke and with the ability to have a retirement, too. Judy focuses her college planning practice on families going through divorce with college bound children. The complexities of planning and funding college are numerous for intact families, but when divorce is thrown into the mix, the complexities multiply. The divorce professional community including, lawyers, mediators and financial advisors are unaware of how colleges assess different assets and sources of income. Without that understanding, they can unintentionally create divorce settlements that can add tens of thousands of dollars a year to their clients’ college bottom line.
Julie Terrana
CDFA ™, Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch
Julie’s practice focuses on serving individuals who are undergoing a transition in their life; such as divorce, retirement, new career, or have received an inheritance. She is committed to building a strong, lasting relationship with her clients by delivering goal-oriented results and exceptional client service. Julie is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ™ CDFA, a credential that is presented exclusively to individuals trained to provide advice and help individuals build a wealth management strategy that can address short term needs and long term objectives post-divorce. Julie founded Transformation Tuesday in July, 2015, offering free, interactive sessions between guests and divorce experts. Julie is the recipient of the Five Star Wealth Management award in 2015.
Katrina Volker
Professional Liason, OurFamilyWizard®
Katrina has been a professional liaison for the OurFamilyWizard® website for five years. Her role includes educating Judges, lawyers, and other family law professionals on the online tools that can be utilized to benefit and monitor the parental communication process in high conflict cases. Recent speaking engagements include the Ontario Court of Justice, West LegalEdcenter, AFCC Annual Conference, Miami-Dade County Bar and Bench, and Tacoma County Bar and Bench.
Hon. Kelly Wall
A.L.J.
Judge Kelly C. Wall assumed her judicial duties on the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County on January 4, 2010, and was appointed Administrative Judge of the Family Bench in January of 2013. Judge Wall presides over domestic matters, civil arguments, criminal and pre-immigration matters and Protection from abuse, sexual violence and intimidation cases. Judge Wall was an appointed member of the Montgomery County Election Board in 2011 and currently serves as liaison for the Mediation Advisory Board.
Larry Schwab
M.F.T., L.M.F.T.
H. Laurence Schwab has thirty years of experience as a marriage and family therapist in private practice, as well clinic and hospital settings, and has worked with hundreds of couples. These experiences have created the foundation for his book, Navigating Your Relationship: A Voyage for Couples. A married father of three grown children with three grandchildren, he also supervises other therapists and conducts men’s groups and leadership retreats in the greater Philadelphia area.
Max Rivers
The Marriage Mediator
Max Rivers trained as mediator in 2003 at The Mediation and Training Collaborative in Greenfield, MA; and then apprenticed in small claims court for two years in Northampton, MA. He was also certified in Children in Need Of Services Mediation from TMTC. Then he studied The Basics of Non-Violent Communication; and Intermediate NVC with Marshall Rosenberg at Omega; and was certified in Train the Trainer and Negotiation Training (Mediation Works Inc., Boston), Divorce Mediation (Berkshire Mediation, Pittsfield, MA) and Victim Offender Dialogs (Brattleboro Community Justice Center). Over the last 15 years of applying NVC Mediation to couples in conflict he pioneered what would eventually come to be called “The Teamwork Mediation Method,” the topic of his forthcoming book “Tired of Having the Same Old Argument?” He runs workshops and trainings across the country on how to use Embodied NVC in intimate relationships and is regularly interviewed for radio and newspapers on his Teamwork Method, a six session process for teaching couples and families how to mediate their own conflicts.
Michael Bertin
Partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP
Michael E. Bertin is a Philadelphia based family law attorney who focuses his practice on child custody and divorce including the negotiation and litigation of domestic relations cases, divorce, custody, support, alimony, property distribution, prenuptial agreements and related issues. Mr. Bertin also maintains an office in Conshohocken, PA located in the heart of the Main Line.
Divorce and child custody issues in particular are some of the most emotional and complex of all the legal issues facing people today. Mr. Bertin provides his clients with step-by-step guidance to reach resolutions that protect the interests of his clients and their children.
Mr. Bertin, an in-demand author, co-wrote the book on Pennsylvania child custody law. His book, Pennsylvania Child Custody Law, Practice, and Procedure, consists of carefully condensed law and forms that keeps attorneys and the courts current on all areas of Pennsylvania child custody law.
Nancy Vanore
MSN, APRN, BC, CISD, LLC
For over 20 years, Nancy Vanore has helped clients to develop effective methods of communication and personal empowerment. Nancy’s areas of specialty include: developing communication strategies focused on improving relationships in step-families/blended families and for individuals and couples. Additional areas of treatment include: counseling divorce/separation and break-up issues, infidelity, restructuring life following a loss, catastrophic event, managing cancer survivorship and developing coping strategies following life transitions (loss of job/graduating from college), supportive treatment for infertility struggles, as well as, treatment for anxiety, depression, and stress. Nancy’s extensive nursing background, coupled with her Masters Degree therapy training and experience, have given her a deeper depth of empathy and understanding of life's challenges.
Pamela Elaine Nichols
MHS, Author, Speaker, Producer
Pamela Elaine is a speaker, author, producer and singer. She has appeared on several radio and news spots to promote health, happiness and success for women, particularly mothers. She appeared as a guest on the Dr. Oz Show to share her story about building her business, Destined for Greatness Enterprises, Inc., as a healthy way to bounce back from divorce. Her first book, Muddy High Heels: 14 Lessons Learned From My Breakdown, Breakup and Breakthrough, explores the deep reason she, like many mothers, did not make her happiness and success a priority. Pamela Elaine is co-writer and vocal artist for three original songs, and co-producer of a 3-part “Resilient Beauties” episode that appeared on public television. She is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (an expert in business process improvement), a triathlete and half- marathoner.
Ruth Feinblum Conviser
MSW, Growth Solutions Counseling
When Ruth was age eight, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, after a remission, her mother passed away. No amount of therapy could make that experience easy or painless. But the support of her family therapist helped her cope with the loss. She channeled that experience into helping people coping with adversity and helping them to find solutions growth from those experiences. She has a Masters in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College. She holds a License in Clinical Social Work and a Post-Masters Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Bryn Mawr College. Prior to founding Growth Solutions Counseling, she worked in the public mental health system for seven years. She currently have a full time private practice and teach the Cognitive Therapy Certificate at Bryn Mawr College. Ruth helps people overcome anxiety, improve the communication in their relationship and if the relationship isn't a fit, she helps people have a healthy divorce.
Sandi Sherr
M.Ed., Parenting Mediator, Mainline Family Law Center
Working with families is Sandi’s forte. She is dedicated to making them healthy and strong, and keeping them that way, no matter their design. Her M.Ed. (+30) in Special Education and Psycholinguistics has taken her to practically every kind of setting devoted to working with children and their families or caregivers during a decades’ long career. Her range of psycho-educational experience includes parenting education; adult behavior therapy; adoption counseling; foster care; child development; adolescent special needs; early childhood intervention; and parenting her own three children. Sandi sees the positive first; she recognizes strengths and uses them to bolster confidence and achieve outcome objectives. Always focused on the best interests of children, Sandi brings her energy for parenting—with all its emotional, educational, and social challenges—to benefit families who are parenting apart.
Shelby Riley
Owner of Shelby Riley, LMFT and Associates (SR&A)
Shelby Riley has been practicing as a licensed marriage and family therapist for over fifteen years and specializes in working with couples, adolescents, and using sand tray and play therapy with young children. In addition to seeing clients, Ms. Riley presents trainings and workshops for the public and for other mental health professionals, and also provides clinical supervision and professional practice building coaching to other therapists. She is the author of two books: Five Secrets to Better Communication, and Assignments for Couples, a workbook to increase intimacy and relationship satisfaction.
Stephanie McCullough
M.A., Founder and CEO, Sofia Financial
Stephanie founded Sofia Financial in 2011 after 14 years as a financial advisor, with the goal to empower women to make wise financial decisions, address their areas of money stress, and free up their time and mental energy to spend on the things that are truly important. Before transitioning into financial services, Stephanie had a wide variety of jobs, including working at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC; teaching people more than twice her age how to confidently handle at the Annapolis Sailing School; and organizing stimulating educational events for high school students.
She earned an M.A. in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Duke University. She recently earned a Certificate in Behavioral Finance from Duke. She holds licenses for securities sales, as well as life and health insurance.
Stephanie Newberg
LCSW, M.Ed.
Stephanie Newberg is a licensed psychotherapist and Adjunct Professor and clinical Supervisor, at the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. In addition, she is in private practice in Bryn Mawr, PA providing individual, family psychotherapy, and co-parenting counseling. Stephanie specializes in helping families navigate the transition and stressors around separation and divorce. She helps families learn to communicate and cooperate in a more effective and child focused manner. Stephanie also does child custody evaluations and serves as a consultant to public and private schools for topics relating to adolescent and child development, bullying, parenting skills and support, and mental health issues. She has more than 20 years of experience and has authored numerous publications and made many media appearances about these topics.
Stu Webb
J.D., Founder of Collaborative Law
Stuart G. Webb invented collaborative law in 1990. He trains and lectures throughout North America and Europe and has appeared on the "CBS Evening News" and in "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal".
Tara Eisenhard
Author, Coach, Mediator, Relative Evolutions
Tara Eisenhard is an author, speaker, coach and mediator with a passion for healthy and happy divorces. Tara is the author of the book The D-Word: Divorce Through a Child’s Eyes as well as the GOOD Divorce™ Principles and the blog Relative Evolutions. She currently writes for DivorceForce and contributes to the Huffington Post. Her work has been featured by Divorcedmoms.com, Family Affaires, Divorced Women Online, Stepmom Magazine and MariaShriver.com. In her community, Tara leads a local Divorce Encouragement group. Tara is also Board Vice President of Neighborhood Dispute Settlement in Harrisburg.
Walter A. Reed
J.D., CFP, CDFA, Principal at Fairman Group Family Office
Walter is a Principal in the Tax Department of Fairman Group Family Office located in Berwyn, PA. He's been involved in the financial/tax aspects of divorce for several years, and has handled a handful of divorce cases from his days as a practicing attorney.
William J. Doherty
P.HD.
Keynote Speaker bio