Tony Belak
Senior Partner
Tony Belak is a leading expert in conflict resolution, mediation, and organizational compassion. He serves as Senior Fellow at the 4Civility Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and Dublin, Ireland, and formerly was Associate Director General of the International Center for Compassionate Organizations and Ombuds at the University of Louisville, where he also taught law, public affairs, and peace studies.
Tony is Associate Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at La Sierra University in California and founder of The Institute for Workplace Transition. He previously directed the International Center for Collaborative Solutions at Sullivan University and served as Senior Dispute Resolution Counsel and Regional Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
A certified mediator, arbitrator, and ombuds, Tony has taught conflict resolution and business courses at universities in the U.S. and Europe. He has led and helped establish numerous ADR initiatives, including the Mediation Association of Kentucky, the Jefferson County Court Annexed Mediation Rule, and the Federal ADR Council, the nation’s oldest shared neutral mediation project.
He has trained mediators worldwide, including for the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations, and the Irish Department of Defense, earning recognition for his leadership in advancing mediation and workplace civility.
Luella Wong
Senior Partner
Luella Wong is an attorney, mediator, and technology executive with over 20 years of experience aligning cross-functional leadership across enterprise, civic, and regulated environments. She designs organizational ombuds structures and governance frameworks, bridging complex technical architectures with legal realities to help resolve friction before dispute escalation occurs.
A principal executive consultant, FINRA arbitrator, and experienced negotiator, Luella integrates systems engineering with informal dispute resolution to de-escalate operational strain. A named patent inventor who has directed large-scale technology transformations and SaaS rollouts, she brings rare domain fluency to AI governance, software licensing, and multi-agency consortia.
Her background spans complex programs, vendor performance frameworks, and innovation hubs for Fidelity Investments, Pfizer, Starwood Hotels, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Boston, and several start-ups.
Luella regularly trains attorneys and neutrals on dispute resolution tools and techniques, presenting for the American Bar Association, Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen, and other national forums.
Holding degrees from MIT, Case Western Reserve Univ., University of Louisville, and New England Law, Luella provides an independent, technically astute safe harbor for commercial partners to navigate friction with discretion.
Bixler Howland
Senior Partner
Bixler Howland is a practicing attorney licensed in Indiana and Kentucky and a certified mediator through the Indiana Mediation Registry. Bix mediates civil matters including personal injury, wrongful death, motor vehicle and trucking collisions, medical negligence, employment disputes, civil rights claims, toxic torts, contract and insurance disputes, business disagreements, estate matters, and real estate issues.
With a legal career spanning five decades, Bix has represented both insurance companies and individuals, gaining extensive trial experience. In 2014, he completed training through the Indiana Office of Administration and Continuing Legal Education to become a certified mediator and continues to maintain certification through ongoing professional development.
Drawing on trial experience on both sides of disputes, Bix serves as a neutral mediator, helping parties assess the strengths and weaknesses of their cases and explore resolution opportunities without the pressures of a courtroom. While he does not provide legal advice in mediation, he can offer opinions on case value when requested.
Bixler Howland is committed to facilitating fair and efficient resolutions, guided by the principle: “Good work, done well, for the right reason and with an end in mind.”