About Us
Our organization is composed of volunteer board members and mediators who are dedicated to our community and your needs.
History of Our Name
Our name and logo reflect the broad yet interconnected scope of our services!
Our name ‘Community Solutions of Central Oregon’ – formerly Central Oregon Mediation – may seem subtle to some, novel to others. In short, our name reflects our emphasis on providing far more than traditional mediation solutions; we provide facilitation and education programs and services as well.
Our logo is a circular, three piece jigsaw puzzle. Each piece represents one of the three main services we provide – Mediation, Facilitation, Education – with contrasting colors meant to differentiate each while also demonstrating that all are related pieces essential to our work as a community dispute resolution center.
Our Board Members
Danielle Strome
Danielle joined our Board of Directors in 2019, is a trained mediator, and has long-standing local area ties and associations throughout Central Oregon. She holds advanced degrees in Law and Dispute Resolution and is a USDA-certified agricultural mediator with additional interests in a wide range of business and community casework. Danielle works full-time as a realtor specializing in residential property sales. She and her family currently live in Bend.
Paula Turnage
Paula joined our Board of Directors in 2020 and is a long-time resident of Central Oregon. She provides a wealth of business experience as a retired Certified Public Accountant (CPA), as well as additional insight into nonprofit finance as the former Board Treasurer for the Assistance League of Bend. Since joining the Board, Paula has assisted in the refinement of our financial management practices and development of lasting financial control policy. She and her family currently live in Bend.
Jane MacMurray
Jane brings a diverse background to the Board, including military service, corporate sales, and financial modeling. After spending most of her career on the East Coast, she recently retired and returned to her home state of Oregon to be closer to family. Jane holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics. As a trained mediator, Jane is passionate about helping people find creative, mutually beneficial solutions. She has experience in various mediation settings, including neighbor disputes, small claims, landlord-tenant issues, and developing and updating parenting plans. Jane resides in Bend with her Standard Poodle and has a large extended family in the area.
Jim Ruff
Jim joined our Board in 2013 and comes with management and executive expertise from the financial services industry. He was voted in as Board Vice President in 2014 and also served as the organization’s co-managing director for an interim period that year. Jim is also a volunteer mediator and lives in Bend.
Mark Montgomery
Mark has been a licensed acupuncturist, bodyworker, and instructor of meditation and qigong for 28 years, with a practice in Bend since 2014.
His involvement with eastern healing, meditative and movement arts has led to a deep interest in conflict as an opportunity for growth and healing, as well as a fascination with the interconnectedness of individual and societal health. These two interests inform and inspire his enthusiasm for mediation and conflict resolution.
Chris Pearson
Chris retired from a longstanding position as an employment lawyer for the US Postal Service in 2020. That position required regular mediation advocacy. He and his wife moved to Bend in 2017. Over the past several years in Bend, Chris has served on the Boards of BrightSide Animal Center, his Neighborhood Association, and the City’s Neighborhood Leadership Alliance. Since 2023, Chris has served as a volunteer Small Claims mediator in the County Court systems for Deschutes and Multnomah, Neighborhood Coordinator for the Bend Food Project, and as a youth soccer referee.