Carolyn Thurston

About

A long-time resident of Kittitas County, Carolyn Thurston has been a professional mediator for over 24 years. Carolyn worked and taught at Central Washington University for over 25 years, and during her tenure at CWU, working primarily with first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities, she also worked with colleagues, students, and faculty to utilize more effective, restorative alternatives to formal and legal grievance and complaint processes. She conducted workshops for faculty, staff, and students, gave presentations and trainings on Nonviolent Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, and Restorative Conflict Resolution, and taught Community Mediation in the Law and Justice department for over 15 years.

Since 2023, Carolyn has served the Community Peace Center (CPC) of Central Washington in the role of Executive Director, providing visionary leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight, advancing its mission through mediation, facilitation, education, restorative practices, conflict resolution, violence prevention & intervention, and community partnerships. Carolyn leads organizational strategy, staff development, grant and financial management, program growth, and community engagement while collaborating with the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, funders, courts, and community partners to strengthen the CPC’s impact and sustainability.