“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
May 30, 2025, feels both like eons ago and like yesterday. That day, at the 62nd Annual AFCC Conference in New Orleans, our remarkable Past President, Professor Michael Saini, handed me the AFCC Presidential Gavel. In truth, that was the first and last time I held it. It has been under repair ever since, which still makes me laugh. I may not have had the gavel in my possession, but I certainly cherished what it represented: the opportunity to learn the inner workings of this extraordinary organization, meet more of our members and colleagues in collaborating organizations, preside over the countless programs and initiatives under way at AFCC, and keep learning every step of the way.
I am in seventh heaven when I am learning. If I were independently wealthy, I might well have been a perpetual university student. Being a lawyer, mediator, former judicial officer, and AFCC member, director, and executive committee member is a close second. We are always learning from one another.
It feels fitting that I came into this role in New Orleans. My Wisconsin Chapter began to take shape there during the 46th Annual Conference in 2009. Over lunch at Napoleon House, Judge Michael Dwyer, attorneys Toni Vacca and Nancy Mills, and I talked about starting a chapter. This was not the first such discussion by various Wisconsinites during an AFCC Conference. This time, the energy, collegiality, and timing all aligned. We went home and actually did it!
Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of seeing the British Columbia Chapter receive its charter, Georgia gain provisional status, and several others begin coming together for provisional consideration. It is an exciting time for AFCC. Another highlight was the new family violence training led by my predecessor. This September, Dr. Saini will present a new three-day program, Safety First: Family Violence in the Context of Family Law, focusing on some of the hardest realities in our field and the depth and complexity they carry.
Sometimes those realities arrive in the most shocking ways. My heart goes out to our Louisiana Chapter after last week’s horrific domestic violence murder of five children in Shreveport. I also hold in my thoughts our Minnesota Chapter members, and all AFCC chapters, members, staff, and communities who have faced profound challenges over the past year. These are not easy times. I hope each of you finds peace and finds in AFCC a family that supports you. As Dr. King said, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
AFCC truly is a family. It is a community built on mentorship, friendship, a shared meal or drink, and the simple reassurance, “Contact me anytime.” What makes that spirit so special is that it flows both ways. I have been especially inspired by presenters and authors who invite younger or lesser-known professionals to join them on panels and podiums, not simply out of generosity, but because they bring fresh perspectives, new energy, and value to the conversation. I hope that spirit continues to define us, and that newer members feel just as comfortable reaching out to those of us “seasoned” in the org.
Over the last ten months, AFCC has held three major conferences, four training programs, monthly webinars, regular international webinars, published quarterly issues of Family Court Review, and kept you updated with the monthly eNEWS. We adopted and published the Model Standards for Family and Divorce Mediation, launched two additional guideline revision task forces, and have one more in the works before the year is out. All of this reflects the tremendous work of many people. Our volunteer leaders and members, our executive director, and our staff devote countless hours to this work that makes AFCC the leading interdisciplinary organization in the field. You all have my heartfelt gratitude.
This is my last President’s Column, so let me close with this: if I sound as though I coveted the President’s gavel, I really did not. In truth, I did not even covet the presidency, though knowing what I know now, perhaps I should have. It has been a phenomenal experience. In addition to all those already mentioned, I thank my predecessors for their wisdom and contributions. While I still have a few months of work and plans ahead, I hope you will join me in Seattle at the end of May for the 63rd Annual Conference, where I will pass the gavel to the Honorable Justice Tom Altobelli of Sydney, Australia. He brings great energy and enthusiasm, along with that delightful Australian accent, which I must admit has a certain advantage over my nasal Midwestern U.S. one. Please join me in welcoming him as our new President.
Hon. Dolores A. Bomrad (Ret.), AFCC President