WALLACE STEGNER CENTER
ENVIRONMENTAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAM
FEDERAL COLLABORATION CERTIFICATE COURSE
Training in collaboration and conflict resolution specifically for federal agency employees
The Wallace Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law is pleased to partner with the Bureau of Land Management National Training Center and HQ-210 Division of Decision Support, Planning, and NEPA to offer the Federal Collaboration Certificate Course (FCCC).
In this six-session intensive course for federal agency employees, participants will learn how to effectively and productively navigate conflict and collaborate to co-create and implement mutually beneficial, effective solutions. Participants will learn the “art and science” of collaborative problem-solving through lectures, case studies, peer-to-peer sharing, discussion, and simulation exercises.
The course will also provide a unique opportunity for participants to interact and network with colleagues at other federal agencies and to learn from one another’s experiences with collaboration in the federal context.
Course Benefits & Outcomes
FCCC participants will:
- Acquire skills for effectively navigating conflict and participating in, convening, and facilitating collaborative efforts.
- Learn how to assess whether a situation is ready for a collaborative approach.
- Build a cross-agency network of federal employees who can offer peer mentoring and support.
- Participate in a final, three-day in-person session in Phoenix, AZ*
- Receive a certificate of completion if they attend all course sessions, complete all assignments, and demonstrate sufficient mastery of the material.
The course includes 50 instruction hours and will be delivered through five online sessions and a final three-day in-person session. It will use a fully “flipped” approach, with participants viewing pre-recorded lectures and readings on key content prior to each class session. This format will enable class sessions to be highly interactive, experiential, and entirely dedicated to exercises and peer-to-peer learning.
This course is similar to, but separate from, the Collaboration Certificate Course (CCC), which is targeted toward a broad range of mid- and upper-level professionals working on environmental, natural resource, and public policy issues in the Mountain West. To learn more about that course, see the CCC webpage.
Course Dates
Each day of online training (Sessions 1-5) will involve ~4-hrs total on Zoom; the rest of online training days will be dedicated to course-related work and preparation. The three in-person training days (Session 6) will be full 8-hour days.*
| Session |
Dates & Times (MT) | Location | Content |
| Session 1 | Sept. 18, 2025 (10am-5pm) | Online | Introductions, course expectations, and core skills |
| Session 2 | Oct. 1, 2025 (10am-5pm) Oct. 2, 2025 (10am-5pm) |
Online | Introduction to collaboration and key concepts |
| Session 3 | Oct. 15, 2025 (10am-5pm) Oct 16, 2025 (10am-5pm) |
Online | Interest-based negotiation and other key skills for collaborative problem solving |
| Session 4 | Oct. 29, 2025 (10am-5pm) Oct. 30, 2025 (10am-5pm) |
Online | Assessing opportunities for collaboration |
| Session 5 | Nov. 19, 2025 (10am-5pm) Nov. 20, 2025 (10am-5pm) |
Online | Formal collaborative processes and collaborative process design |
| Session 6 | Dec. 9, 2025 (9am-5pm) Dec. 10, 2025 (9am-5pm) Dec. 11, 2025 (9am-5pm) |
In-person, Phoenix AZ* |
Facilitation skills, adaptive leadership, self-leadership and course wrap-up |
* The final three-day session (Session 6) will be held in-person at the BLM National Training Center in Phoenix, AZ unless federal travel restrictions are imposed, in which case it will be held online. Contact edrprogram@law.utah.edu with questions or concerns about the in-person component of this course.
Eligibility
This course is designed for individuals who are:
- Mid- to upper-career level federal agency employees working on environmental, natural resource, and/or public policy issues (although individuals working on other types of issues will be considered)
- Positioned to benefit from the course (e.g., individuals who do not have extensive prior training in ADR, conflict resolution, etc.)
- Positioned to spread the skills learned in this course to others within or outside of their agency
- Able to attend all sessions as scheduled
- Able to attend Session 6 in Phoenix on December 9-11, 2025. Individuals who cannot attend the final session in-person will still be considered.
Course enrollment will be capped at 36 participants; 20 seats are reserved for BLM employees and 16 seats are available for employees of other federal agencies.
Course Fee & Application Information
Please read the following application information carefully. Note that BLM employees have a different application process than non-BLM employees. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early!
BLM employees:
- Up to 20 BLM employees, whose course tuition will be paid for by the BLM National Training Center, will be admitted. Participants’ home units or states are expected to cover travel costs to Phoenix, AZ, for the in-person final session.
- BLM employees should register through DOI Talent
- Early registrations are encouraged. Register by August 10, 2025, for priority consideration, and no later than September 1, 2025.
- All participants registering through DOI Talent will be placed on a waiting list and rostered on a rolling first-come, first-served basis until the 20 available seats are filled. Participants will only be admitted if they meet the above eligibility criteria.
- BLM employees: contact Tessa Teems with registration questions.
Employees of federal agencies other than BLM:
- Up to 16 individuals from non-BLM federal agencies will be admitted.
- Tuition for non-BLM participants is $2,500/person and may be paid to the University of Utah via credit card or check; a link to the payment portal will be sent once an applicant is accepted. Participants and/or their employers are expected to cover costs associated with travel to Phoenix, AZ for the in-person final session.
- Employees of federal agencies other than BLM: click here to apply.
- Early applications are encouraged. Applications will be reviewed starting May 16, 2025. Acceptances will be made on a rolling first-come, first-served basis until the 16 available seats are filled. Participants will only be admitted if they meet the above eligibility criteria. Applicants will be notified of acceptance decisions within 2-3 weeks of application submission. Once the course is filled, any additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list. No applications will be accepted after September 1, 2025.
- Non-BLM employees: contact edrprogram@law.utah.edu with application questions.
Course Instructors
Danya Rumore, Director of the Wallace Stegner Center EDR Program, is the primary instructor for this course. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Policy and Planning and has over 15 years of experience in stakeholder engagement, consensus building, and collaborative process design in the context of environmental, natural resource, and public policy issues.
Emily Gaines-Crockett, Associate Director of the Wallace Stegner Center EDR Program, is the co-instructor and course coordinator. Emily has a master’s degree in Environmental Science and a mediation micro-credential from the University of Utah.
Contact
For more information about the Federal Collaboration Certificate Course, contact edrprogram@law.utah.edu.