Jill Christ

I'm training to become a mediator. My previous work brought me here.

For 15 years I helped designers, engineers, and business leaders resolve conflicts about what they believed they needed to build versus what their customers actually needed. I learned that most disputes aren't really about the presenting issue. They're about people not having the same information, or not feeling heard.

I hold a Master of Library Science from UCLA with an emphasis in Informatics, specializing in information seeking behavior. I spent a decade inside tech, including Facebook, where I led research teams, spoke at the 2017 F8 Developer Conference, and co-led workshops in Paris. I'm now completing my mediation practicum through the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center and building a practice in Santa Barbara focused on community, workplace, and family disputes.

I believe most conflicts can be resolved when the right conditions exist for people to truly hear each other and align on the same information.