The Peace Office helps organizations build the skills and practices needed to navigate conflict, strengthen relationships, and create healthier workplace cultures.
Our work brings practical approaches from mediation, restorative practices, dialogue facilitation, and organizational development into the everyday life of workplaces.
We partner with leaders and teams to address immediate challenges while building their long-term capacity to communicate across differences, repair harm, and create healthy organizational cultures.
We envision a world where the practice of peace is accessible to everyone.
The Peace Office exists to put practical tools for peace into people’s hands so that conflict can become an opportunity for understanding, growth, and meaningful change.
The Peace Office Leadership
Shira May, Ph.D. is an organizational leader, mediator, facilitator, trainer, and educator with more than 20 years of experience in conflict resolution, communication skills, organizational development, and adult learning. With a unique approach that combines candidness, gentleness, and a sense of play and fun, Shira has been a trusted partner to hundreds of organizations, including nonprofits, businesses, schools, colleges and universities, and community-based organizations.
Shira brings particular expertise in helping organizations navigate conflict, change, and complex interpersonal dynamics. Her work focuses on workplace mediation and conflict resolution, group facilitation, restorative practices, leadership and team development, organizational culture, strategic planning, and the design and delivery of professional learning.
Prior to founding The Peace Office, Shira served as President & CEO at the Center for Dispute Settlement, a regional nonprofit providing conflict resolution services across eight counties in New York State. Drawing on eight years of executive leadership experience, she brings firsthand experience in leading organizational strategy, program development, staff and board leadership, partnership development, change management, and the development of organizational systems and culture.
Shira has worked across nonprofit, government, education, court, and community settings. Her partners and clients include New York state agencies, colleges and universities, nonprofits, schools, and community-based organizations. She is currently the Board President of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, contributing to the evolution of conflict resolution policy and practice.
An experienced educator and trainer, Shira has taught courses on communication, conflict, and human development at the University of Rochester, Nazareth University, and Monroe Community College. She has designed and facilitated professional learning for leaders, staff, volunteers, mediators, and other professionals. She is a statewide anti-bias trainer and experienced leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. Shira also serves as a volunteer as a Circle keeper with Hidden Water, supporting restorative responses in emotionally complex and high-stakes contexts.
Shira is an award-winning author and researcher, featured in both popular and academic publications including Braver Collective, Discourse Processes, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. She has presented at the International Institute for Restorative Practices World Conference, U.S. Child Care Policy Research Consortium, American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Conference, American Educational Research Association Conference, New York State Dispute Resolution Association Conference, and numerous local forums.
Shira holds a Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from the University of Rochester, a B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from St. John Fisher University.
HIGHLIGHTED PARTNERSHIPS
NYS Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA): Provided restorative practices and anti-bias training for the statewide Community Mediation Service Corps (CMSC) AmeriCorps program.
NYS Division of Human Rights: Co-facilitated restorative practices training for the DHR Commissioner and the entire central office staff. Provided Anti-Bias training for the Hate & Bias Prevention Unit’s regional council members across the state. Served as lead facilitator for the HBPU’s Finger Lakes Regional Council.
NYS Unified Court System: Led anti-bias trainings for mediators, arbitrators, and other neutrals across the state.
NYS Education Department: Provided restorative practices trainings for K-12 educators through a contract with the statewide Community Dispute Resolution Center program.
SUNY Brockport: Consulted with the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to implement restorative practices across campus, in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs, Office of Human Resources, University Police, School of Business and Management, and several academic departments.
MEDIA
2025 NYS Hate & Bias Prevention Unit, Finger Lakes Regional Council, Poder 97.1 FM Su Hora Informativa
2025 The Art of Communication, Conflict, and Compassion, Agents of Nonprofit podcast
2024 How to Strengthen Your Dialogue Muscles. WXXI, Connections with Evan Dawson
2023 Mediation Moments - Shira May, National Association for Community Mediation
2021 Connections: Center for Dispute Settlement CEO, Shira May. WXXI, Connections with Evan Dawson
“[It is a] struggle to manage the highly polarized and politicized environment right now. The information and nuance on biases and ways to think about them…as well as the detailed dive into microaggressions, was really helpful.”
— Anti-Bias Training participant