What does 100 years of conflict resolution look like? More than nine million cases administered, countless conversations moved forward, and a field that has transformed considerably since the American Arbitration Association® (AAA) was founded in 1926.
On October 15, the Association for Conflict Resolution Illinois Chapter (ACR Illinois) recognized the AAA during its annual Conflict Resolution Day celebration in Chicago, honoring the organization for a century of leadership in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and the advancement of justice and a legacy of integrity, innovation, impartiality, and service. The recognition comes during the AAA’s centennial year and was accepted by Cassie Lively, vice president of the AAA, on behalf of the organization.
ACR Illinois is a nonprofit professional association dedicated to increasing awareness and use of conflict resolution. Its Conflict Resolution Day celebration brings together mediators, arbitrators, universities, organizations, and other members of the Chicagoland dispute resolution community around their shared work of helping people navigate conflict. The AAA joins previous organizational honorees including the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, which received ACR Illinois' annual award in 2025, and Chicago's Center for Conflict Resolution, recognized at the 2023 celebration.
For the AAA, the recognition also provides an opportunity to reflect on what a century of service in dispute resolution has meant. Since its founding in 1926, the not-for-profit organization has been guided by a mission to lead the world in providing innovative measures to prevent, mitigate, and resolve disputes fairly and efficiently. Over the past century, the AAA has put that mission into practice by developing rules, ethical standards, and processes that support fair and impartial arbitration and mediation across commercial, construction, labor, employment, consumer, and other disputes.
That mission continues to evolve alongside the needs of the people and organizations the AAA serves. Today, the AAA is expanding mediation, investing in education and training, and exploring how AI and other emerging technologies can improve the way conflicts are resolved. From developing AI-enabled tools and digital dispute resolution services to establishing standards for the responsible use of AI in ADR, the AAA is embracing new approaches while preserving the fairness, impartiality, and human judgment at the heart of dispute resolution.
The recognition is particularly meaningful coming from the conflict resolution community itself. The AAA continues to grow its presence in Chicago and values the opportunity to work alongside the practitioners, organizations, and institutions advancing mediation, arbitration, and other approaches to resolving conflict throughout the region.
The AAA thanks ACR Illinois and the Chicagoland conflict resolution community for this recognition and for their continued work to transform conflict into dialogue and create pathways toward resolution.
