It’s not a big office in downtown Olympia or even one you may have noticed before, but it is at the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County that Evan Ferber has made a life for himself and helped to change countless others. It’s where he says his career truly began and where, in December, it will draw to a close. And if not for Evan Ferber’s dedication, the Dispute Resolution Center might not have ever existed.
In the late 1980s, Evan was living in Spokane when he first served on a mediation board and began his training. “All kinds of lights went off in my brain and I was fascinated by the process. There were just so many neat things about community mediation that really resonated with me,” Evan shares with me as we begin to talk about his long career.
He moved to Olympia in 1989. At this time, community mediation was becoming more mainstream, as a result of a court reorganization act that encouraged the practice. Community mediation is a service available to anyone in the community as a way to solve issues without going to court. “We help people empower themselves and we help create a respectful negotiating environment,” Evan explains. Mediators don’t offer opinions, but rather ways to come to solutions. Community mediation has an 80-percent success rate.
Because he was so passionate about the community mediation process, Evan began a new chapter in his life and opened up a small two-person office in Olympia. He added a few part-time employees, too. He says, laughing, that he had no idea how to run a non-profit organization or how much of a need there would be, but “people just came out of the woodwork.”
Sandy DiBernardo of Olympia Federal Savings has worked with Evan countless times over the years and sees his importance to the community. “I have always enjoyed meeting with Evan as he personally exudes a calm and caring persona, along with a great sense of humor,” she says.
But while everyone I encounter is singing Evan’s praises, it’s other people that Evan wants to talk about. He tells me it’s the more than 100 volunteers, multiple colleagues, and countless community members who have helped make this organization a success.
“It has been the most meaningful work of my life,” Evan says. “It’s very simple – doing good work, work that’s effective, meaningful and has so much intrinsic satisfaction. It’s what I call a good addiction.”
That addiction, as he calls it, has carried Evan throughout the years and allowed Dispute Resolution of Thurston County to continue to grow. Evan hopes that even with his pending retirement that the organization will continue providing value to the community. “It was time for me to let go and let new people in here to give it leadership,” Evan explains. “I’ve been here so long. I’ve put my stamp on the agency’s operations and culture and now I’m saying goodbye.”
Evan assures me that he still plans to remain active as a volunteer, but it is just time to do something else. “It’s just time to get real. When you’re in your mid-70s, you just start adjusting to your growing age. It creeps up real fast, so here I am.”
Evan says he is an avid swimmer and also enjoys reading, music, travel, and being outdoors, which he will have more time for in retirement.
Sandy DiBernardo explains how Evan will definitely be missed when that happens. “I truly admire his work ethic, compassion and understanding of human nature. I’m not sure what it is, but after our meetings I always feel more at ease and centered – Evan just has that effect on people!”
I ask Evan what advice he would give to people just beginning their careers and he just laughs. “Find your passion,” he tells me, “that’s what I did.” He says he wouldn’t change a thing and it’s been one very eventful ride. Piece by piece everything just fell together and he tells me he feels so fortunate for this life. “I have this faith that I’m going to be flinging myself into what the Chinese call the fertile void. It’s just going to lift me up. It always has, and good things will manifest.”
If you would like more information about Dispute Resolution of Thurston County, click here.
