Elizabeth (Betty) Manley, M. Ed., J.D., LMFT was the President and founder of Atlanta Divorce Mediators and Mediation Training Institute.  She left us in August 2008 and gave a clear guide to the continuation of the field and the practice of the profession. Betty was an Advanced Practitioner member, consultant, approved trainer, and life member of the Association for Conflict Resolution (formally SPDR, AFM and CRE-Net).  She presented nationally and internationally.  Betty was a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Georgia, a Clinical member and approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and had been an adjunct faculty member at Georgia State University, and a Guest Lecturer at Emory University.

Betty had been mediating since 1977 and training mediators since 1979.  She was in the first class of trained volunteers when the Neighborhood Justice Center of Atlanta opened, and helped train mediators for the opening of the Neighborhood Justice Center of Hawaii.

October 12, 1999, Betty had what she considers to be her "new" birth date.  On that date she became the recipient of a heart transplant (she had never met a heart transplant until she "became one"!).  She discovered a wonderful community of active heart transplant recipients, and competed in the "transplant Olympics" in 2000 and 2002, won a silver medal in the World Transplant Games in France in 2003, and a gold medal in the world games in London, England in 2005.   This "life altering" and life saving experience gave her even more insight into the importance of resolving conflict in less stressful ways.

Melissa Heard was given the wonderful opportunity to continue on with the vision and dream. Betty laid a foundation that will continue on with Atlanta Divorce Mediators through training and services.