text: Susan Rokes is an active volunteer mediator with the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) of Harris County, serving since 2017, mediating a variety of cases in the Justice of Peace Courts as well as at the DRC, including family cases. Mediations have ranged from insurance disputes to dog bite conflicts and included breach of contract cases of all varieties. Susan received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Houston Bar Association in 2018 for mediation with the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center. Her interest in mediation began in 1994 when she received training through the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center. She was recertified in basic and family mediation at the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center in 2017.
  Susan believes mediation is the best approach to solving conflicts as it gives the parties the dignity of shaping and owning the resolution instead of having someone else make decisions about their lives. Her approach is to keep the parties together as much as possible to enable them to talk to each other, understand each side’s perspective and craft a joint resolution that is the best solution for all involved. She views her role as guiding the parties in their discussion, to help clarify perspectives and priorities, explore possible solutions and verify that the resolution works for the parties.
  Susan’s career began in Medical Technology, specializing in Microbiology. During the latter years while working as a medical technologist, she attended the University of Houston Law Center, completing her J.D. She briefly worked as a lawyer, volunteered as a mediator with the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center, then entered the HIV Prevention field where she found her home until retiring at the end of 2019. In the HIV prevention work, Susan educated, trained, supervised, monitored prevention programs, directed a counseling and testing program, counseled clients about staying healthy as well as testing them for HIV and delivering results and referrals, and lastly, consulted with two counties to establish new HIV Prevention programs.