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Mr. Belak has served as the Ombuds at the University of Louisville, Associate Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at La Sierra University, Riverside, California, founder of The Institute for Workplace Transition, and the former Executive Director of the International Center for Collaborative Solutions at Sullivan University, Louisville, Kentucky.

Tony Belak, JD

Tony Belak, JD is the Associate Director-General of the International Center for Compassionate Organizations (ICCO). His focus is on collaborating on the day-to-day operations of the ICCO as well as developing programs and relationships with other organizations. He formerly served as the Ombuds at the University of Louisville; Associate Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at La Sierra University, Riverside, California; founder of The Institute for Workplace Transition; and the former Executive Director of the International Center for Collaborative Solutions at Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was also on the faculty of the Master of Science in Conflict Management program.

Mr. Belak was the Senior Dispute Resolution Counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs and is not only a mediator and arbitrator but also a teacher in basic, advanced, and specialized conflict resolution. Along with theorist Ari Cowan, he is the developer of Compassionate Trust Leadership — a new, advanced, and evidence-based approach to conflict management. He is recognized for his innovation in designing conflict resolution programs within the workplace.

Mr. Belak taught conflict resolution at the University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, and at Indiana University Southeast College of Business, and MBA courses and seminars at the Vienna campus of Webster University and Bratislava, Slovakia. He is the first attorney graduate of the George Washington University Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives (1992). He was an original founder of the Louisville Bar Association ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Committee and served for eight years on the Kentucky Bar Association ADR Committee and as its chair for two years.

He is the former Regional Counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs and was an initial member of the Civil Justice Reform Act Committee for the Western District of Kentucky, former assistant Commonwealth Attorney, special assistant U.S. Attorney, and President of the Federal Bar Association, Kentucky Chapter. He is a certified mediator and arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Kentucky Collaborative Family Network, the U.S. Postal Service REDRESS Program, trained as an arbitrator by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a mediator/arbitrator with the Southern Indiana Realtors Association, Inc., and a member of the Louisville Labor-Management Committee. He also is past two term chair of the Louisville Bar Association ADR/Mediation Section and past President of the Mediation Association of Kentucky, and President of the Kentucky Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association.

Mr. Belak’s experience, understanding, and kindness are keys to his success as a mediator and ombuds. His professionalism, creativity, and insights are evident in his writing and program development skills.