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.

Jennifer Mancinni
Case Manager
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On October 28, Jennifer Mancini joined the Northern Community Mediation (NCM) team. Among her responsibilities as a case manager, Jennifer will handle school attendance, victim-offender, child protection, small claims, land lord/tenant, real estate and employment types of cases.

Although Jennifer was born in Michigan, her family moved to Ohio then to Missouri, and ultimately she returned to Michigan where she graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School. She has also lived in California and New Jersey, but her heart has always been in Michigan.

Jennifer attended Calvin College and Oakland University, where she originally planned on studying to be a nurse but then considered human resources. For 22 years, she was a stay-at-home mom. Both of her two daughters are now seniors at Michigan State University.

With her family’s being raised, Jennifer returned to the work force as the Deputy Clerk for the 90^th District Court in Petoskey, Michigan. Her responsibilities in this position are ideal for being a case manager for NCM.