Marie Stein spent decades in the financial services industry seeing first-hand how people value assets differently, and yet, arrive at fair prices to make successful trades every business day, so that both sides are satisfied with their deal. She has been an alternative dispute resolution professional since 2011 when, thanks to the recommendation of one of her former direct reports, she became a FINRA arbitrator. She has been a volunteer mediator with California Lawyers for the Arts since 2015.
Marie is a Community Facilitator with the Institute for Non-Violence in Los Angeles, facilitating neighborhood dialogues on far-ranging topics from gun violence to homelessness to police and community relations; and was a member of INVLA’s steering committees for recent dialogues on “Facing Racism and Bigotry in Los Angeles” and “Racism, Policing, The Pandemic + Beyond”.
She has mediated small claims with the Center for Conflict Resolution and parenting plans with Southern California Family Mediation; and has served on arbitration panels with NFA (National Futures Association) and NCDS (auto warranty arbitration). She was a microfinance fellow for Kiva.org in China and Vietnam; and has traveled extensively for work, family, and to satisfy her own curiosity.
She has served as President of the Board of Pasadena Cable Access Corporation; and hosted and produced a live, call-in arts and community affairs weekly cable access television show. The skills she developed keeping a conversation going or politely cutting a caller off and correctly anticipating remaining time before the commercial break have come in surprisingly handy in mediation.
Stein received her MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC Cinematic Arts; her JD from Boston University School of Law; and her AB in International Relations from Brown University. She is also an attorney in Massachusetts and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and very much enjoys serving on CLA’s Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services panel.