Home | Co-chairs | News & Articles | Newsletter | books | ACR website | archives | links | contact |

The Association for Conflict Resolution Crisis Negotiation Section is currently guided by the leadership of two chairpersons: Lynne Evans Kinnucan and Jeff Thompson.

Lynne Evans Kinnucan

After serving for seven years as speech writer and press writer for former Governor Richard F. Celeste, Lynne trained as a mediator, then worked in the United States and Canada.  In Canada she pioneered mediation coaching program for males with a history of violence during her tenure as representative of the Queen’s Court in London, Ontario.  

As Director of Sections at the Association for Conflict Resolution in Washington DC, she established ACR’s Crisis Intervention Section, a forum where state, federal and local law enforcement from around the world could share strategies, research, and best practices with professional lay mediators and crisis intervenors.   A core part of this was the Crisis Intervention News, featuring in-depth explorations of the field with the major hostage negotiators in North America and the U.K. (http://www.mediate.com/acrcrisisnegotiation.

Lynne currently Co-directs the Women’s Center of Huntington in Huntington NY.

Jeff Thompson

Jeff Thompson is a certified international mediator and New York City Police Department (NYPD) detective. Jeff is currently the recipient of the Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Graduate Scholarship and is conducting research as a Research Fellow at Columbia University Law School.

Jeff's research topic at Columbia University Law School is on effective skills used by law enforcement crisis and hostage negotiators.  During his fellowship he is guest lecturing, writing articles for academic and general audiences, and giving trainings on the topic of crisis negotiation and its implications with non-law enforcement personnel. 

His law enforcement work includes being a communication and conflict specialist, engaging in interfaith dialogue, developing and implementing community engagement programs, social media initiatives and designing training workshops.

Jeff is also currently a PhD candidate researching nonverbal communication and mediation at Griffith University Law School. He received his MS in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from the Creighton University School of Law.

He has presented and trained on the topic of conflict, mediation, communication and nonverbal communication internationally for a variety of audiences including police personnel, government officials, judges, attorneys, physicians, sales people, business professionals, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Jeff has been published with various media websites such as Mediate.com, PsychologyToday.com, and TheConversation.edu.au.  His writing has been for academics, specific professions, and the general public.  His work and projects have been featured with numerous media organizations including the New York Times, CNN, BBC radio, Al Jazeera, and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jeff is on the board of the Association for Conflict Resolution’s (ACR) Greater New York Chapter, he is the co-chair of ACR's national Crisis Negotiation Section, volunteers with the New York Peace Institute, and is also a member of professional and academic organizations such as Mediators Beyond Borders, the International Mediation Institute, and the National Communication Association.