Dr. Jack R. Goetz currently serves as Vice-Chair for the California State Bar’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Certification Program Working Group. As a neutral, he participates in various public and private panels, including serving as an arbitrator and mediator and vice chair (2014–2022) for the LACBA’s Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Services, an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and as a mediator for a number of court panels. The Los Angeles Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program honored him as the 2011 “Outstanding Volunteer” for his service. Dr. Goetz also served as a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court from 2012–2017.
Dr. Goetz has taken on leadership roles in the mediation field, having served four years as a member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) and as its president in 2018. He also served as president of MC3 (2015–2024), a non-profit organization designed to promote greater education and training for mediators through certification and the social justice associated with greater widespread public access to qualified mediators. Dr. Goetz participated as a member of the California State Bar Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution from 2014–2017.
As an educator, Dr. Goetz has served USC Gould School of Law during the last decade teaching Mediation Theory and Practice. Prior to moving to USC in 2015, he was the academic lead for a 100-hour mediation training certificate program that he created in 2009 and then taught for seven years at the California State University campuses in Northridge and Dominguez Hills. Dr. Goetz also serves as president of the non-profit company Educational Solutions 4 Change (Es4c), which offers low-cost mediation training to non-profit and governmental groups. Through Es4c, he has delivered advanced conflict resolution and mediation trainings for organizations such as the Los Angeles Police Department’s Office of the Ombuds, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Riverside Community College District leadership, and the San Jose Evergreen Community College District management teams.
Dr. Goetz’s business background is extensive, and he received international acclaim for creating the first nationally accredited online law school, Concord Law School (1998), which is now part of the Purdue University Global system. Purdue recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the school by creating the Founder’s Award in his name. Additionally, Dr. Goetz served two terms as a commissioner for the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, overseeing the accreditation compliance of many educational institutions offering online classes domestically and internationally (2017–2023).
Beyond his professional work, Dr. Goetz and his family, together with his wife Dr. Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz, have donated more than $125,000 in scholarships to support students pursuing higher education. Their philanthropic contributions have been made through organizations such as the Liberty Hill Foundation, California State University at Northridge, and Boston University. Dr. Goetz is also a lifelong sports fan, including 46 years as a Los Angeles Dodger season ticket holder. He also was given a lifetime pass to the National Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York by donating some of his baseball memorabilia for display in that museum.
Education:
– PhD in Education, Capella University (2006)
– JD, Boston University (1979)
– MBA, Pepperdine University (1990)
– BA in Economics, San Diego State University (1976)