Melissa Heard wins Chief Justice Harold Clarke Award

ATLANTA — The Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution and the Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Georgia awarded the 2019 Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award to Melissa C. Heard in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution in Georgia. The event marks the first time in the history of the award that the honor has been endowed to a non-attorney.

Heard accepted the award at the 26th annual Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute and 2019 Neutrals’ Conference held at the Georgia State University College of Law in Atlanta. Notably, the award presentation was decreed by Edith B. Primm, the 2015 recipient.

Heard has devoted more than 20 years to the field of alternative dispute resolution as a mediator, trainer (both at the Justice Center of Atlanta and her own business: Success Consulting & Mediation Inc.), as a long-time Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution (GCDR) member, and as a mentor to many across North America.

She began her education with a major in journalism at Brenau University, from which she has received many accolades, including becoming the first African American to be inducted into the H.G.H. Senior Honor Society. Additionally, she attended the University of Tennessee and received a master of science degree in Social Work. Heard has enjoyed an array of occupational mastery, including a time as a CBS Sportscaster; a canine officer/hostage negotiator; national and international mediation consultant; and an ADR reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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