Sarah Miller Espinosa

Arbitrator. Mediator. Ombuds.
SME Dispute Resolution LLC
673 Potomac Station Drive #815
Leesburg, VA 20176
Phone:
301-828-8566
Email:

Professional Work History:

Arbitrator/Mediator (August 2013-present): serve as a labor arbitrator and workplace mediator; member of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) labor panel, Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) labor arbitrator panel, National Mediation Board (NMB) arbitration panel, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission ADR mediation panel; serve as an arbitrator and hearing officer on the 3020-a teacher panel at the invitation of the NYC DOE and UFT as well as the City of Baltimore Civil Service Commission; Ombuds, Montgomery College (August 2013 - present) Previous Experience: Vice President of Human Resources, Development, & Engagement/Director of Employee Engagement & Labor Relations, Montgomery College (April 2009- July 2013) Chief Negotiator & Labor & Employee Relations Manager, Montgomery County Government, MD (February 2006 - April 2009) Assistant General Counsel/Mediator, State of Connecticut, Department of Labor (January 2004 - February 2006) General Counsel/Assistant to the President, SEIU Local 511 (September 1999 - December 2003)

Dispute Resolution Experience

Practicing labor arbitrator and workplace mediator; serve on the 3020-a teacher performance arbitration panel established by the NYC Department of Education & UFT Local 2; hearing officer for the City of Baltimore Civil Service Commission; Serve as the neutral ombuds for Montgomery College as well as other organizations, where I am responsible for providing a confidential, independent, and impartial forum for individuals to explore and identify issues, interests, and possible solutions to conflict. Facilitated collegewide committees in reaching consensus using an interest based problem solving approach. Served as neutral conducting card check process Additionally, previously served as a full-time mediator for the State of Connecticut Board of Mediation & Arbitration, where I assisted the parties in reaching agreement during collective bargaining and in resolution of grievances and as the assistant general counsel for the State of Connecticut Board of Labor Relations, where I conducted research and drafted decisions on behalf of the State of Connecticut Board of Labor Relations, which interprets and enforces all public sector labor laws in the State of Connecticut.

Cornell University Dispute Resolution Training (Course titles and dates taken)

Introduction to Labor Arbitration (2011); Ethics (2012); Evidence (2012); Scheinman on Evidence (2012); Labor and Employment Award Writing (2012); Advanced Issues in Arbitration (2013); Mediating & Arbitrating in the Federal and Public Sectors (2012); Designing Effective Dispute Resolution Systems for the Workplace (2011); What Labor Arbitrators Need to Know about Labor Unions (2011); Labor Law (2012); Employment Law Mediation (2014).

Other Dispute Resolution Training

40 Hour Mediation Training, Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (2008); Mutual Gains Negotiations, Program on Negotiations (2007); Interest Based Bargaining, FMCS (2011, 2010, 2009); Facilitative Leadership, Montgomery College (2009); Academic Leadership, Montgomery College (2010-2011); Arbitrator's Workshop, National Academy of Arbitrators (2013); 13th Annual Conference New England Consortium of Labor Relations Agencies (2013); American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Conference (2015); Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference (2013; 2014; 2015).

Professional Associations

Association for Conflict Resolution, Board of Directors
LERA, Maryland Chapter International Ombudsman Association Cornell ILR School Alumni Association
American Bar Association
Cornell ILR Alumni Association
SFLERP

Education

Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, Labor Arbitrator Development Program (2011-2013) University of Connecticut School of Law, JD, May 1999 School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University, BS, May 1995

Fee Policy

Available upon request