Dr. Jane Millar
Executive Director
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Jane became the Executive Director of Northern Community Mediation (NCM) in July 2003. In addition to her responsibilities for NCM, she also facilitates mediation trainings for participants throughout the state and serves on the Development, Training and Funding Committees for the Michigan Community Mediation Association.

She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Albion College with a major in English and minors in Business & Economics, Psychology and Spanish. Her Master of Arts Degree is in Child Psychology from St. Lawrence University, and her doctorate degree is from Eastern Michigan University in the field of Leadership.

Jane is active in the community. As a Rotarian, she is a past district-governor of Rotary International. She is a trainer for Rotary Leadership Institute, vision facilitation, and leadership sessions for the District Assembly and the president-elect training. She has also co-chaired the Training Institute. She is a past president of her local club and has been responsible for planning three district conferences.

Jane is a past president of the Women’s Resource Center, as well as Crooked Tree Arts Center. She has served on and chaired numerous committees and boards of directors in her local community. In 2005, she was the recipient of the prestigious Athena Award. In 2016, she received the eddi Award from Crooked Tree Arts Center, and in 2018, the Nancy S. Klein Award from the ADR Section of the Michigan Bar Association.

Laura Buckingham
Case Manager
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Laura received her Associates’ Degree in General Science, specializing in Aquatic Biology from Lansing Community College. Following that,  she studied Court and Conferencing Reporting. Her work experience includes being an Office Manager / Legal Assistant with a local law firm. In that capacity, she was involved in all aspects of the law. Laura has also worked in the medical field

Laura is also highly involved in the community. She has been committed to the Northern Michigan Women Who Care, Women’s Resource Center, Petoskey Band Boosters, and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. Additionally, she has served as a STRIVE mentor and a Petoskey Parks and Recreation soccer coach.

Laura is responsible for divorce, parenting time, domestic and estate types of cases.

Elise Borow
Case Manager
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On February 21, Elise Borow joined the Northern Community Mediation team. Among
her responsibilities as a case manager, Elise will handle school attendance, victim-
offender, child protection, small claims, land lord/tenant, real estate and employment
types of cases.

Born in California, Elise spent many of her summers in New Jersey and Mexico. As a
pre-teen, she moved to Utah, but continued as a volunteer building homes in Mexico for
those in need. While there, she started working with special needs adults and children.
This commitment to special needs individuals continued into her schooling in Utah,
where she was given permission as a part of her curriculum to work with special needs
individuals.

In 2015, Elise moved to Michigan where she continued to work with special needs
individuals. She took on two additional responsibilities: in-home health care and working
with women in high conflict circumstances. In all of her employment experiences,
helping to promote effective communication has been at the forefront, which is a natural