David Dowling (MDR ’09) and Selina Shultz (LLM ’14) Appointed to Leadership Positions at Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law has appointed David Dowling and Selina Shultz to positions of leadership at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Dowling, who has been an adjunct professor at Caruso Law since 2018, will serve as the institute’s Judge Danny Weinstein Managing Director. Shultz, who has taught at Caruso Law since 2015, will act as the inaugural executive director of the Straus Institute Professional Training Programs.

“Straus is a crown jewel of Pepperdine University and Caruso Law and a global destination for dispute resolution training,” said Paul L. Caron, dean of Pepperdine Caruso Law. “David Dowling and Selina Shultz are the right leaders at the right moment—bringing deep operational strength, an institution-builder’s mindset, and an unwavering commitment to Pepperdine’s unique mission.”

David Dowling

Since graduating from Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law, Dowling has been committed to educating the next generation of lawyers. Prior to beginning his work at Caruso Law as an adjunct professor in 2018, Dowling spent more than a decade at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law, where he served as an adjunct professor for two years before becoming a full-time professor and the founding director of the Mediation Clinic.  A 2009 alumnus of the Straus Institute, he has dedicated his teaching to training aspiring mediators. This commitment has carried Dowling beyond Malibu and across the globe—even to Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Dowling is also an expert mediator. Over the last 15 years, he has mediated a broad range of complex legal matters, including family, business, educational, and personal injury disputes. Dowling is the founder of Summit Mediation, and he has served in numerous other dispute resolution roles over the course of his career. Specifically, he has mediated for West Coast Family Mediation Center, the Superior Court of California, Orange and Riverside Counties, and East Valley SELPA. Throughout his professional career, Dowling has been steadfast in helping others discover common ground, seek solutions, and avoid litigation. 

As the Judge Danny Weinstein Managing Director, Dowling will provide strategic and operational leadership to the Straus Institute’s renowned academic programs, which include its Certificate in Dispute Resolution, its Master of Dispute Resolution, and its LLM in Dispute Resolution.  

“I am honored to be a part of the Straus family and thrilled for the opportunity to work with our students and alumni,” said Dowling. “My Straus education opened doors I never imagined, and I look forward to guiding future generations of students as they grow into conflict resolution practitioners, leaders, and peacemakers. Together, we will continue building a world-class education in dispute resolution.”

Selina Shultz

Shultz brings extensive experience as a conflict consultant and educator to her role as the inaugural executive director of the Straus Institute Professional Training Programs. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 1993, she was a founding partner of Bunde, Gillotti, Mulroy & Shultz, P.C. and later the founder of its alternative dispute resolution practice group, The Alternative Group. She earned an LLM in Dispute Resolution at Straus in 2014.
 
Shultz has served as an adjunct professor at Straus since 2014, teaching in both its academic and professional training programs, including training the judiciary in both Uganda and Ghana. In 2017, she founded The Conflict Lab, a human-centered environment designed to elevate people’s thinking as they work to become conflict competent. Her work at The Conflict Lab has included large organizational conflict culture interventions both in the United States and internationally, as well as facilitating the healing process of memorialization and rebuilding in traumatized communities after the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting and the Ghostship Warehouse Fire.

As the inaugural executive director of the Straus Institute Professional Training Programs, Shultz will prioritize expanding the program domestically and internationally.

“I consider the work of Straus to be sacred, whether it is training young students, seasoned professionals, or judges from around the world,” said Shultz. “After 30 years of working in the field, I am honored, humbled, and energized to serve as a steward of the incredible professional training programs that exist and to work with this team to expand the offerings to reach more individuals, communities, and industries.”

Additional Straus Institute Updates

Dowling and Shultz will be joined in their leadership efforts at the Straus Institute by professors Jack Coe Jr. and Donald Earl (Trey) Childress, who will continue to serve as academic co-directors, ensuring continuity of leadership while advancing Straus’s global impact and enhancing the student and practitioner experience that has become synonymous with the Institute. Professor Tom Stipanowich will continue his prominent role at Straus as the William H. Webster Chair in Dispute Resolution, professor of law, founding academic director, and distinguished scholar in residence, contributing to the Straus Institute’s ongoing scholarship and global reputation.