Irvine, Calif. – JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, is proud to announce its third cohort of Diversity Fellows for the JAMS Diversity Fellowship Program for 2024 and 2025. The program was launched in 2021 to provide training, mentorship, sponsorship and networking opportunities for up-and-coming ADR professionals.
In its third cycle, the program will provide fellowship opportunities to seven ADR professionals located across the United States. Fellows will be paired with JAMS panelists who will serve as their mentors and sponsors throughout the 12-month program.
“We are looking forward to building on the success of the Diversity Fellowship Program and want to extend a warm welcome to this year’s cohort. At JAMS, we recognize just how valuable the right mentorship and learning opportunities can be. Creating a space for Fellows to expand their skill sets and gain exposure to new areas can have a profound impact on their careers, and we are so proud to support that process.”
- Joanne Saint Louis, JAMS director of diversity outreach
Beyond mentorship and shadowing opportunities, Fellows will receive multifaceted support, ranging from workshops on how to launch and build their own practices to marketing and networking opportunities based on their career goals. What helps differentiate this program is the ability to tailor the opportunities provided based on each Fellow’s unique experience and interests.
Listed below are the seven Fellows selected for the 2024–2025 JAMS Diversity Fellowship Program.
Joseph Creitz, Esq. (San Francisco): Mr. Creitz is the founding partner of Creitz & Serebin LLP, a respected plaintiff-side ERISA litigation boutique based in San Francisco. He is also a professor of practice and the director of legal research and writing and moot court at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (UC Law SF). He has been a volunteer mediator in the ADR program of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for the last four years. He graduated from UC Law SF in 1992 and in the years since has been an ERISA litigator representing labor unions, inside general counsel to a tech company, a trial attorney with the United States Department of Labor and, since 2005, an ERISA litigation specialist representing exclusively plaintiffs in both individual and class actions.
Stephanie Curington, Esq. (Atlanta): Ms. Curington is an attorney with a wide range of legal specialties, including labor, employment, health care, trademark and patent law. She is currently an employment law litigator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She previously served as an administrative judge with the D.C. Office of Employee Appeals and as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law, B.S. in industrial engineering from Morgan State University and M.S., with a focus in human resources, from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She currently serves as an arbitrator and board member of the District of Columbia Bar’s Attorney-Client Arbitration Board (ACAB). She has also served as a mediator, handling cases for the Conflict Resolution Center (Montgomery County, Maryland), Maryland Commission for Civil Rights and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Maryam Hatcher, Esq. (Washington, D.C.): Ms. Hatcher is an experienced regulatory attorney and litigator with expertise in sustainability and environmental law. She began her career in nationally ranked environmental legal practices before moving to senior in-house positions, including her current role as senior counsel, sustainability at Mars, Inc. She regularly presents on sustainability and environmental law issues and has published several articles and a book chapter on related topics. Her pro bono practice includes volunteering with the DC Bar’s Attorney-Client Arbitration Board (ACAB), where she has served as an arbitrator since 2019. She joined ACAB’s board in 2021 and was appointed as board chair in June 2024 by the DC Bar’s Board of Governors. Her achievements include recognition as a National Bar Association 40-Under-40 awardee and selection as a Rising Star in Environmental Litigation by Washington, DC, Super Lawyers. She is an honors graduate of Howard University School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Howard Law Journal. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son.
Federica Simonelli, Dott.ssa. (New York): Ms. Simonelli is originally from South Tyrol, Italy, an autonomous, German-speaking region in the Italian Alps. She earned her master’s degree in comparative European and transnational law at the University of Trento, where she is now a teaching fellow for the ADR course and a researcher in the context of a court-ordered mediation program developed at the Court of Appeals in Trento. She is a civil and commercial mediator qualified within the International Mediation Institute (IMI) and is currently working on earning her LL.M. in dispute resolution and advocacy at the Cardozo School of Law in New York City. She is involved as a trainer and coach in pro bono projects such as Tean Mediation International (TMI), which promotes peer mediation among college and high school students across the world. She is also an author and member of the editorial office of the Italian biannual law journal Giustizia Consensuale [Consensual Justice], edited by the University of Trento and the University of Florence.
Harshitha Ram, Esq. (Detroit): Ms. Ram is an international disputes attorney, arbitrator and mediator renowned for her multifaceted expertise in both domestic and international arbitration and mediation. She specializes in a wide array of legal areas, including commercial and contractual law, information technology (including blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and smart contracts), manufacturing, health care, energy and natural resources, corporate and business law, banking and securities, aviation, marine and shipping, construction and infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, international trade and investment law, lemon law, and labor and employment matters. She excels in handling complex arbitrations and mediations across these diverse fields. She is a trained and accredited mediator certified by the Michigan Supreme Court. She holds an honors degree in law and a Master of Laws, with a specialization in dispute resolution. She was recognized as an outstanding student in dispute resolution law at the University of South Wales and was also nominated to the Dean's List for her exceptional academic performance.
April Madison-Ramsey, Esq. (San Francisco): Ms. Madison-Ramsey is a certified mediator and has more than 25 years of experience in traditional labor and employment litigation management, risk avoidance, employment law training, employment compliance and alternative dispute resolution. She has spent the better part of her career providing training and preventive counseling and advice concerning disability discrimination, leave administration, corporate diversity, harassment prevention, internal investigations, collective bargaining agreements, wrongful termination, and employee discipline and risk management. In addition, she is a seasoned labor negotiator in both the public and private sectors. She currently manages the labor and employment practice for Stanford Health Care, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford Health Care- Tri Valley, Stanford Medicine Partners, Packard Medicine Children’s Alliance and related clinics across California.
Ellen Kim, Esq. (San Francisco): Ms. Kim is currently corporate counsel at Workday, serving as a strategic business and legal advisor to the Medium Enterprise Sales team. In her role at Workday, she leads sales enablement efforts to train the team on how to effectively position legal conversations. She also enjoys coaching graduate business students at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business as a career development coach. In particular, she is passionate about providing tailored, culturally attentive coaching to a new generation of diverse business leaders. She received her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law) and her B.A. in music and political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
About JAMS – Local Solutions. Global Reach.
Founded in 1979, JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. With a roster of over 450 neutrals and 29 locations, JAMS successfully resolves and manages tens of thousands of business and legal disputes by providing efficient, cost-effective and impartial ways to overcome barriers at any stage of conflict. JAMS offers customized in-person, virtual and hybrid resolution services locally and globally through a combination of industry-specific experience, first-class client service, the latest technology and highly trained mediators and arbitrators.
Building on this foundation, JAMS Pathways focuses on early conflict resolution, facilitation and training. Learn more about JAMS Pathways at jamspathways.com.
More information about JAMS is available at www.jamsadr.com, and you can connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and our JAMS ADR blog. To learn about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at JAMS, visit www.jamsadr.com/diversity/.
