The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) has awarded CBI Board member, Colin Rule, with the 2013 Mary Parker Follett Award. The annual award is presented to an individual who "has shown a passion and willingness to take risks; in tackling a contemporary problem or opportunity in the field of dispute resolution; has used innovative and experimental techniques; and draws upon the talents and ideas of all persons involved."

Colin Rule has worked in the dispute resolution field for more than two decades as a mediator, trainer, and consultant -- at the intersection of conflict resolution and technology. He is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Modria, an online dispute resolution service provider in Silicon Valley, building ODR tools like the PayPal Court and the Gebruikersjury. From 2003 to 2011 he was Director of Online Dispute Resolution at eBay and PayPal.

Colin is a non-resident Fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School and works closely with the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution at UMass-Amherst. He is the author of Online Dispute Resolution for Business, published by Jossey-Bass in September 2002. Colin holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in conflict resolution and technology, a graduate certificate in dispute resolution from UMass-Boston, a B.A. in Peace Studies from Haverford College. 

Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933) was an early advocate of resolving conflict by encouraging parties to integrate interests into negotiations.