Nancy Geist Giacomini

Nancy Geist Giacomini (she/her) is a groundbreaking educator, mediator, and systems consultant whose teaching, publications and advocacy have transformed student conduct and conflict management practice for over three decades. She provides online adjunct graduate instruction, subject matter expertise and doctoral candidate mentoring for institutions including St. Bonaventure University (NY) and Sullivan University (KY) and is a veteran mediator of special education disputes with the Pennsylvania Office for Dispute Resolution. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Delaware while a conflict resolution program associate in the Institute for Public Administration, where she served as a statewide mediator, and graduate practicum instructor for student affairs practice in higher education. Her career includes over a decade as assistant dean of students at the University of Delaware where she managed the Student Conduct office; piloted the Student Government Mediation program; chaired the Appeals Board, Council for Judicial Affairs, and Sexual Assault Awareness Weeks; and was awarded the Institutional Award for Women’s Equity. Giacomini champions integrated conflict and conduct management initiatives in education. She balances an active conflict management and teaching practice with educational consulting, conflict coaching, and interim student affairs roles in higher education, including an appointment as interim student conduct and Title IX respondent case manager and grievance advisor for Swarthmore College (PA). She is a credentialed expert across conflict coaching; group facilitation; mediation; restorative practices; victim-offender conference facilitation; due process; Title IX; and ombudsperson roles. Giacomini is an award-winning leader in the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) with Board of Director roles culminating in a three-year turn as president. She pioneered the integration of conflict resolution, mediation, restorative justice, and inclusive excellence principles and practices into traditional student conduct professional development programs offered by the association in roles as conference chair, training institute program chair, and faculty. Nancy founded the Community of Practice for Women in Student Conduct, served on the ASCA Foundation Board, was appointed to the Diversity Task Force, and lent expertise at the inaugural Conflict Resolution Strategic Planning Summit. Additional memberships include the International Ombudsman Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, Pennsylvania Council of Mediators, ACPA College Student Educators International, and the Pennsylvania ODR Stakeholder’s Council; she is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Conflict Management (JOCM).