Northern Community Mediation

04/24/2026

Are you a farmer? Are you having a disagreement with someone? Are you in conflict with a company? Are you disputing with an organization? Call Northern Community Mediation at 231.487.1771, We may be able to help you without having to go through litigation, and our fees are free for most farmers.

04/24/2026

Project Connect could not have been a more successful event. Held on Wednesday, April 22 in the North Central Michigan College gym, 1125 exhibitors were able to reach and explain their services to 356 community members who represented a total of 721 individuals. Northern Community Mediation staff and volunteers alone had conversations with over 224 individuals.

04/21/2026

Earth Day was established in 1970 to promote environmental awareness and protection and is celebrated annually on April 22. It is celebrated in over 190 countries worldwide. It focuses on themes like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity, encourages community service projects such as tree planting and clean-ups, promotes sustainable practices and eco-friendly habits, and engages individuals, organizations, and governments in environmental advocacy.

04/17/2026

If you or someone you know is receiving services from Community Mental Health and there are concerns about the treatment plan, call Northern Community Mediation at 231.487.1771. We can arrange for a neutral party to meet with the case manager and the client to discuss the concerns of each of the parties and then develop a plan so that the client feels that she/he is being treated fairly.

04/16/2026

If you are a farmer, you can receive free mediation services through the Michigan agricultural Mediation Program. Call Northern Community Mediation at 231.487.1771 for more information.

04/14/2026

My name is Phil Harmon, and I am a Tribal Citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I moved to Petoskey in 2001 to work for my Tribe as a Probation Officer. Over the years, I’ve held several positions with the LTBB Government. I’ve been in my current position of Executive Director, Unit I since November of 2016. It’s been an honor and privilege to work for my Tribe. One of my duties and responsibilities as the Executive Director of Unit I is to help with disputes in the workplace. As a trained mediator, these skills truly help with dealing with disputes

In my personal life, I’ve been happily married since 2022 and truly enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I try to spend most of my free time enjoying sports, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, hiking, and pretty much anything to do with the outdoors.

I’m honored to be a member of the Northern Community Mediation Board. I’ll do my best to fulfill my duties and responsibilities and to help ensure a bright future for NCM

04/10/2026

If you want a special place to go for lunch or dinner, get yourself over to Birdies Tavern in the Indian River Golf Club. What a menu Kristini Hasse has put together! And, it is not just the menu that is fantastic; the food is delicious as well. On top of that, the ambiance--looking out over the golf course--it does not get much better than that. Jenny Brower, Judy Zorn and Jane Millar can attest to these claims because they had lunch there this past Sunday, March22.

04/09/2026

Passover ends at sundown on April 9. It is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. It celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. The name "Passover" refers to God "passing over" the homes of the Israelites during the tenth plague. The holiday lasts for eight days and includes special rituals and meals.

04/07/2026

GETTING TO KNOW NORTHERN COMMUNITY MEDIATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

After a career devoted to management and leadership development that spanned several industries including over 20 years at JPMorgan Chase, Denise Drake retired in 2015. She and her husband Paul used their first year of retirement to complete America’s Great Loop, living aboard their boat for nearly a year. They then made Petoskey, where they had owned a second home for many years, their full time home where they continue to seek out new adventures.

Denise has enjoyed volunteering for many organizations throughout the years including Make a Wish, Hospice House and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. In Petoskey she has worked with Women’s Resource Center, Manna Food Pantry and Northern Community Mediation.

Denise’s career focus was on helping managers and teams resolve conflict through effective communication, which lead to her belief in the power of mediation to solve problems. She has been a volunteer mediator since 2017 and is honored to join the board. She was named Veteran Mediator of the year in 2020.

Denise holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master’s Degrees in Human Resource Development and Cli

04/03/2026

04/02/2026

GETTING TO KNOW NORTHERN COMMUNITY MEDIATION'S BORD OF DIRECTORS

Bill Cattin has a BS in Physics from Alma College, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan. After a 20 year career at Ford Motor Company, he took early retirement in 2007 and moved permanently to Harbor Springs in 2010 where he owns and manages a retail property.

In addition to being a volunteer mediator at NCM since 2017, Bill has been a volunteer at the Lyric Theatre in Harbor Springs since it opened in 2016 and can be found behind the counter most Friday and Saturday nights.

Bill is single, but shares his home with Lewis, a three-legged cat he recently adopted from LTBHS. In his spare time, he enjoys adventure-based travel, photography, skiing, and mountain biking, hiking and snowshoeing in the beautiful woods of northern Michigan and the UP.

03/31/2026

What an exciting, celebratory evening. Truly a gala event! The Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Awards Banquet at The Talcott in Walloon Village on Friday, March 20. The food was scrumptious, people were in their finest attire, the entertainment could not have been better, and the award recipients were more than deserving. Among those individuals recognized was a group of women. The Beautification award was won by the Boyne Valley Garden Club. This group was more than deserving, and Northern Community Mediation is especially happy for Cyndy Tonkavich (pictured second from right) because she is both a mediator and board member for NCM.