Meet Our Board Of Directors

Carol Barkes, CPM

President - 2021 to 2022

Carol is a neuroscience-based conflict resolution professional, mediator, speaker and best-selling author with a wide variety of experience.  She served as the Mediation Director for Idaho’s Fourth District Court and she is an ADR Advisor to the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA, an adjunct professor for BSU and CSI,and a sought-after keynote speaker with a thriving private practice. In Idaho, she has worked with Winco, HP, Micron, US Forest Service, Kount, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Canyon County Highway District, National Interagency Fire Center and many more. 

Carol has spoken at the United Nations and is regularly seen on Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and quoted in a wide variety of publications. In 2018, she co-authored a book, Success Breakthroughs, with Jack Canfield, known for authoring the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Series and was a 2019 Idaho Woman of the Year.  Her husband Leland, son Christopher and her many friends and family round out her life, and she enjoys spending time camping, hiking, scuba diving, traveling and cooking.

Terry Petty, CPM

Vice President- 2022 to 2023

Terry Petty has a Master of Arts: Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a Certified Professional Mediator (CPM) with the Idaho Mediation Association (since 2010), listed on the Idaho Supreme Court’s roster of Child Custody mediators, and a former President of the Grand Teton Mediation Association (Idaho Falls, ID). He previously served on the IMA Board of Directors in 2014-15.

Terry is President of Peace-Full Solutions RE, Inc., which provides mediation services and training leaders in conflict management concepts and strategies. He specializes in church, organizational, large group, and high intensity conflicts. Since 2017, Terry has been an Idaho licensed REALTOR® and works with Team Idaho Real Estate in Moscow, Idaho. An Ordained minister, Terry serves the Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God as the North Idaho Executive Presbyter. He was certified as a Master Chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains and served as a volunteer law enforcement chaplain for 25 years.

As an author, Terry has written three books, “Married and Loving It!”, “Peace-Full Solutions: Spiritual peacebuilding for leaders”, and “Real Answers for Real Estate: Questions asked by first time home buyers.” Terry and his wife, Barbara, live in DeSmet, Idaho. He is a trombone player, outdoorsman, and Harley-Davidson rider. 

Jennifer Neermann, CPM

Secretary - 2021 to 2022

Jennifer has been engaged in mediation since 2007. She is a Certified Professional Mediator and is on the Idaho Supreme Court roster for Child Custody mediators.

Mediating people’s conflict is her passion. Facilitating conversations to encourage people to get past their conflict and move forward creating an obtainable plan is her joy. She serves the Seventh Judicial District as the Small Claims Mediation coordinator and is the current president of the Grand Teton Mediation Association. She is delighted to come alongside the excellent Mediators of the Idaho Mediation Association to promote all things mediation across the state.

Jen has a long history in art as a faux finish painter, muralist and art instructor for a paint and sip business. Her work includes murals on university basketball court floors, ocean murals, and themed rooms throughout the city and surrounding area. She has also participated in snow sculpture exhibitions for several years. Ms. Neermann is a native of Arizona and has lived in Idaho for 19 years.

Scott Brand, CPM

Treasurer - 2022 to 2023

After years on the front lines of dispute with both Lemhi County Crisis Intervention and Lemhi Valley Social Services in central Idaho, Scott Brand has seen the consequences of unresolved conflict firsthand. It’s one of the reasons he has a passion to assist others in resolving conflict before it reaches crisis levels.

A mediator for the Idaho Supreme Court and the Nevada Supreme Court and member of the Grand Teton Mediation Association and the Idaho Mediation Association, Scott helps clients choose outcomes rather than having solutions decided for them by the courts. He specializes in mediating child custody, divorce, domestic dispute, eviction, and small claims issues. Scott previously served as executive director of Lemhi County Crisis Intervention (The Mahoney House). In that role, he oversaw community outreach, developed new programs for young people in empowerment and emotional learning, and supervised support groups for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, teens, and moms.

A graduate of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. When he’s not mediating conflict and helping clients choose their own solutions, Scott revels in outdoor adventures and is an avid mountain biker, bikepacker, rafter, cross country skier, permaculturist, duck farmer, and adventurer.

Steve Pinther, CPM

Director - 2022 to 2023

Steve first received mediation training in the spring of 2010. At that time he had 30 years of general contracting, producing custom upper end homes in Southeastern Idaho. Steve also had the privilege to serve the construction industry in many professional positions. He was fortunate enough to see the construction industry from several different perspectives. Steve served as president of the Idaho Building Contractors Association (IBCA) and also as Chairman of the Idaho State Contractor Registration Board. Because of his service to the contractor board, Steve was able to represent Idaho at the National Association of Contracting Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) and served one year as President of that organization.

Steve's plan was to retire and help other contractors and homeowners resolve their problems. But after 10 more years of building, because people kept calling him, he had not pursued his ambition. But all was not lost during those years because Steve did volunteer to mediate the Small Claims cases in Fremont, Madison, and Teton county for the magistrate court. He believes these years in small claims helped because of the challenges and variety of cases that small claims present.

Steve has always looked to improve his capabilities and through the years he has been able to receive more extensive training in construction and business disputes. Steve also has additional training in elder mediation to help families resolve issues pertaining to future elder care or resolve estate disputes. He does not engage in any domestic or child custody mediation. Steve's experience and training provides him with unique knowledge to be able to assist people, contractors or families in solving their needs in a professional environment.