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For 30 years, the Andrew Thomas PeaceBuilder Award has recognized the builders — the people who planted trees in hard ground, trained others to do the same, and understood that dispute resolution is not just a profession. It is an act of faith in human community.
This October, NYSDRA’s 2026 Annual Conference brings that legacy into its next chapter through keynote conversations, workshops, and structured dialogue — leaving participants with new connections, sharper tools, and a deeper sense of what this work means.
Rooted in Peace: One Tree, Many Branches is both our theme and our invitation. The roots hold the values that have anchored this work for decades: dignity, equity, voice, and repair. The branches are ours to grow — into every community, every conflict, every place where peace has not yet taken hold. And this year, we grow them together.
The conference is NYSDRA’s signature statewide gathering — the place where the full breadth of New York’s ADR community comes together: CDRC leaders, staff, and volunteers; independent practitioners; court professionals from the NYS Unified Court System; educators; advocates; and emerging voices entering the field for the first time. Through keynote conversations, interactive workshops, and structured dialogue, participants will leave with new connections, sharper tools, and a deeper sense of what this work means and where it is going.
This year carries something extra. Andrew Thomas himself will return to present the 30th anniversary PeaceBuilder Award in person — a milestone celebration of the individuals and organizations whose commitment to community-based peace has shaped New York State. And the conference will serve as the public launch of the Lawrence H. Cooke Dispute Resolution Legacy Fund, NYSDRA’s inaugural endowment campaign to sustain community dispute resolution for generations to come.
