Jean Poitras, PhD, is an associate professor of conflict management at HEC Montréal in Canada. He developed comprehensive knowledge of conflict management through his experience as a consultant and the conclusions of his research work. For more than 15 years now, Professor Poitras has been helping professionals develop their skills in negotiation and mediation. His research program focuses on the intervention strategies used in mediation and negotiation, as well as on the development of diagnostic tools to measure the levels of conflict in organizations. Professor Poitras has published numerous articles and books on mediation, negotiation and conflict management. He is a member of the editorial review boards of several publications: Conflict Resolution Quarterly, International Journal of Conflict Management, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Negotiation Journal.

Susan S. Raines, PhD,is a diplomat for the U.S. Department of State. She served as a Professor and Associate Director in the graduate program in International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding at Kennesaw State University for more than two decades providing consultation and services to corporate and governmental leaders focused on leadership coaching, strategic decision-making, culture change initiatives, training, team norm-building, change management, crisis negotiation, and scandal prevention and response. She has mediated more than 18,000 cases inside and outside of court systems, trained mediators worldwide, and coached executive leadership teams for Fortune 500 and international organizations. In addition to this text, she had authored more than 55 peer reviewed articles, served as the Editor-in-Chief forConflict Resolution Quarterly for twelve years, and co-authoredExpert Mediators(with Jean Poitras). She has three wonderful adult children who served as a lab for her work, sometimes willingly.