Diane F. McSpiritt, JD
Diane's exceptional communication skills, coupled with her mediation training and experience, makes her an outstanding mediator and negotiator. Her common sense approach to mediation and her ability to make people feel comfortable makes her the perfect choice to address your mediation needs. She has been praised by her clients for her “down to earth” attitude, approachability, and demonstrated compassion toward both parties. Attorneys and clients appreciate her ability to focus on the issues at hand and keep participants on track, making it easier to design reasonable alternatives to difficult problems.
Certifications
Ms. McSpiritt is certified by the Florida Supreme Court in Circuit Civil, Family, Dependency, County Civil and Appellate Mediation, and is a qualified Assistant Trainer in Circuit Civil, Family, Dependency and County mediation. She is a Florida Supreme Court approved panel arbitrator and in 2007 was appointed by Florida State Attorney General Bill McCullum to the Florida New Car Lemon Law Arbitration Panel, on which she continues to serve. Diane is a contract mediator for both the 6th Judicial Circuit for Pinellas & Pasco Counties and the 13th Judicial Circuit for HIllsborough County in Florida and is listed with Mediation Works Incorporated (MWI) Panel of Divorce Mediators.
Education
Diane earned an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts from St Petersburg College, a B.A.degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida (St Petersburg, Florida) and a M.A. degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University (Madison, NJ). She has completed numerous professional training courses in mediation through the USF Conflict Resolution Consortium (now My Florida Mediator), and has completed executive education training programs through AT&T School of Business, Motorola University, George Washington University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Her professional career came full-circle when she accepted a position as an adjunct professor of Communication at St Petersburg College, the same college from which she graduated.
Professional Experience
Diane spent more than 20 years working in Fortune 50 corporations, including AT&T, Philips, and Motorola. She held varying and diverse positions in marketing, communication, contract management and internal auditing, giving her a breadth of experience not common in most careers. Throughout her career, Diane's communication and negotiation skills helped her successfully navigate the many opportunities and challenges presented in each job.
Valuing Diversity
Diane's extensive experience working with clients from all backgrounds and her global business experience has given her an appreciation for all cultures, making it easy for her to work with people of different views and experiences. She values the differences people bring to the table, and as a result, enjoys working with participants as they gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for resolution presented during the mediation.