THE MEDIATOR -- (850) 402-1005

Karen Cone is the owner and primary mediator of the Mediation Center of Tallahassee.  She has conducted over 1,400 court-ordered and private mediations in North Florida, South Georgia and surrounding areas.  Karen is certified in all four types of mediation recognized and certified by the Florida Supreme Court (family, circuit, dependency and county).  Of the nearly 6,000 mediators certified in Florida, less than 7% hold certification in all four areas.

In 1998, Karen became a certified county mediator and conducted small claims mediations on a volunteer basis.  Shortly after that, she received formal training in family mediation at the Conflict Resolution Collaborative located on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa.  During the past six years, she has conducted private mediations and provided mediation services to the First, Second and Third Judicial Circuits.  In June of 2006, Karen opened the Mediation Center of Tallahassee located at 1347 East Tennessee Street. 

Upon request from the Dispute Resolution Center of the Supreme Court of Florida, Karen serves as an investigator for the Mediator Qualifications Board and Mediation Training Review Board on a contract basis.  Karen obtained Supreme Court certification as a dependency mediator in February of 2007 and certification as a circuit civil mediator in June of 2008. 

Karen possesses a Master of Public Administration, a B.A. in Political Science, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Government Financial Manager.  Additionally, she is a certified guardian ad litem and has served as a volunteer guardian for the State of Florida.

Prior to becoming a mediator, Karen was employed by the State of Florida for over 16 years mainly in the areas of internal auditing and investigations, serving two years as the agency's Director of Internal Auditing. During her tenure with the State, Karen assisted in the origination of the alternative dispute resolution program used by the agency's regulation division.   

Karen is married with two daughters, ages 21 and 14.  Her husband, John H. Cone, Jr., retired from the State of Florida following 35 years service.  John and Karen have been married for over twenty-two years.

Karen's skills and expertise provide assurance to you that all mediations are handled professionally, effectively and efficiently.  The Center has been established with the comfort and welfare of the clients in mind, and we are usually able to schedule mediations on short notice and with minimum delay.