Dr. Melanie Reese joined CADRE as Director in October 2017. Prior to that, she was the Idaho Department of Education's Dispute Resolution Coordinator for Special Education since 2010. In that time, she helped grow Idaho’s facilitation program into a thriving and valuable option for Idaho’s districts and parents. Additionally, she oversaw the state's mediation, state complaint and due process hearing processes. In this role she worked closely with Idaho's Parent Training and Information Center and Local Educational Agencies to build relationships to serve children with disabilities.
As professor emeritus (Boise State University, 2009), Melanie remains active in the academic community. The co-author of two successful textbooks (Personal Conflict Management: Theory and Practice and Mediation Theory and Practice), Melanie was a founding member of the Boise State University’s Dispute Resolution Graduate Advisory Board and is a member of Boise State graduate teaching faculty.
Melanie served on the Executive Board of the Idaho Mediation Association, was a college ombudsman, and has been a professional mediator since 1990. She is regularly called to present on dispute resolution issues in special education, conflict management, alternative dispute resolution processes, and hot topics in special education. Additionally, Melanie has consulted for numerous organizations to improve their communication effectiveness.