Nancy Haug, CPM

President - 2025 to 2026

Nancy’s 32-year career with the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gave her front-line experience in creating solutions and working with people and organizations to resolve conflicts related to public land use and management. With a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications/Journalism, Nancy helped employees, stakeholders, and public land users identify and articulate their needs, and find ways to work together effectively and productively. Transitioning into the mediation field toward the end of her BLM career felt like a natural progression and, while mediating for the Reno Justice Court and Neighborhood Mediation Center in Reno, Nevada, Nancy completed her Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution. As a Certified Professional Mediator, Nancy continues to work with the Neighborhood Mediation Center in Reno, Nevada, the Nevada Supreme Court, the Idaho Supreme Court, and BLM.  Her current private sector work includes Kearns and West (a strategic communications and conflict management firm) and her own business Nancy Haug Mediation and Facilitation Services. When not mediating conflicts or facilitating meetings, Nancy loves to spend time with her children, grandchildren, husband and mini-Aussie Maija backpacking, camping, hiking, taking pictures and writing.

Jennifer Poole, CPM

Vice President - 2024 to 2025

Jennifer is the mediator at the Idaho Industrial Commission and owner of Resolution Empowered Mediation. An Idaho CPM, she has been an adjunct faculty member of Boise State University’s Dispute Resolution Program since 1999 and University of Dubuque LIFE since 2022. Jennifer authored Ch. 19: Conflict Management and the Criminal Justice System in the textbook “Victimology: Crime Victimization and Victim Services” from the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

In addition to conducting various types of mediation, Jennifer trains and consults on Restorative Justice, victim-offender mediation, peer mediation, community mediation, and active listening. Prior to serving as the 2022 to 2023 vice president on the IMA board, she was a director from 2021 to 2022 and is a member of IMA's Training and Education Committee. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in dispute resolution from Touro University Worldwide. She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and communication from Boise State University, and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Brigham Young University - Idaho. 

Leigh K. Barer, CPM

Secretary - 2025 to 2026

Passionate about helping people resolve conflict, Leigh is a certified professional mediator on the Idaho Supreme Court Roster for Child Custody Mediators with a family law focus and a deep communications background. Her interest in resolving conflict is underscored by her professional training and extensive experience solving complex communication challenges. 

Before mediation, Leigh spent 15+ years helping countless businesses and nonprofits communicate clearly with their audiences as a freelance communications and PR consultant. Client work includes Apple, AWS, Microsoft and multiple startups, as well as several nonprofits in the arts, human services and healthcare sectors. Earlier, she oversaw PR in Seattle-area startups, managed PR agency clients and directed marketing and PR for an arts organization.

Leigh has completed studies in basic and advanced mediation, child custody mediation, domestic violence mediation and restorative justice. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Seattle University. In 2008, Leigh and her family relocated from Seattle, Wash. to Ketchum, Idaho where she enjoys mountain town living.

Sheldon L. Forehand, CPM

Director - 2025 to 2026

Sheldon Forehand is originally from California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Boise State University, where he attended on a football scholarship. For the past 20 years Sheldon has worked in the conflict management business, helping youth and adults as a probation officer and business owner working with a number of counties in the Treasure Valley.  His background is diverse with experience in corrections, Pharma and Software Sales. Sheldon is listed as a Child Custody mediator with the Idaho Supreme Court. He helps clients open lines of communication, identify issues, find common ground, and ultimately reach a solution that everyone can live with. His primary objective in ALL cases is to provide a quality professional forum in which decisions are reached in a constructive process. Sheldon lives in Canyon County with his wife Jill. He enjoys golfing, rooting for his San Francisco 49ers and Boise State Broncos, and spending time with two sons Khalil and Darion.

Scott D. Brand, CPM

Treasurer - 2024 to 2025

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.

David Pelligrinelli

Director - 2024 to 2025

David has come into the world of mediation having seen the need from many sides. In his 15 years as a licensed private investigator, he has seen the various types of conflicts first hand from the inside, typically after the fact. In all of the cases, he saw that there were opportunities to have avoided the conflict at some point with a proper dispute resolution. His purpose for being in the profession is to make efforts to make mediation more visible as an option and get disputants into the process sooner before serious damage is done. "My mediation philosophy combines a practical, objective method combined with the NVC (Non-Violent Communication) style, which is efficient yet empathic." He believes that getting more people into mediation before it is a forced requirement of litigation makes the process more appealing to the parties, and can divert the toxic pathway of conflict.

In addition to being a licensed private investigator, he is also a certified real estate title examiner, licensed commercial insurance producer, licensed building general contractor, and certified commercial surety bond producer. This combination of experience helps guide mediation clients using knowledge from various perspectives. His company Telemediator allows mediation to be available to a wider constituency of clients, easing the process, and helping to overcome objections and obstacles of getting one or more of the parties to come to the table. Originally from Connecticut, he now lives in the west, with his wife and 4 dachshunds.

Holly Birdwell, CPM

Director - 2024 to 2025

Holly is a Certified Professional Mediator and a highly accomplished conflict resolution and communication expert. With the past fifteen years dedicated to private practice, Holly is the founder of Eagle River Mediation, a firm focused on helping individuals navigate highly emotional conflicts peacefully and productively. Holly's expertise is widely recognized, and she is proud to be listed on the Idaho Supreme Court Roster for Child Custody Mediators. Her professional achievements extend beyond divorce, custody, and family mediation, as she has successfully transformed conflict for prominent organizations, including Government Agencies, City Departments, Fire Departments, and Fortune 500 companies. Known for her calm and patient demeanor amidst high-conflict situations, Holly has a remarkable ability to facilitate productive communication and guide individuals toward workable solutions. Her empathetic and future-focused approach enables her to address complex communication challenges effectively.

Holly's educational background includes a degree in communications with a minor in economics. She further honed her skills and knowledge by completing the Mediation and Conflict Resolution graduate program at Northwestern University, specializing in divorce and custody mediation. Committed to continuous professional development, Holly has continued her education and training in various areas, including divorce, child custody, managing high-conflict personalities, mediation methods, workplace mediation, advanced communication, advanced mediation techniques, positive coparenting, parenting after divorce, collaborative divorce, adult/elder care mediation, mediation ethics, neuroscience and conflict, non-verbal communication, working with different cultures, virtual mediation, the art of turning disputes into deals, effective apologies, effective communication in conflicts, emotional intelligence in conflict, mediating social discord, negotiation strategies and analysis of human communication. Holly's extensive experience, expertise, and passion for transforming conflict into constructive solutions make her a trusted and respected mediator in her field.