Emily M. Rife Bio

Emily M. Rife is a senior partner with Impact Associates with a proven track record of helping individuals and organizations navigate complex conflicts with clarity and compassion. With a career spanning the public, private, and federal sectors, she specializes in resolving workplace disputes, facilitating collective bargaining negotiations, and managing employment-related conflicts.

Emily brings deep expertise in a variety of negotiation and problem-solving approaches, including Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB), Interest-Based Problem Solving (IBPS), the Intentional Model, and Affinity processes. She has led numerous skills-building workshops and group facilitation sessions designed to improve communication, collaboration, and decision-making.

In addition to mediation services, Emily conducts organizational climate assessments to help teams and leadership better understand the root causes of conflict, communication breakdowns, and systemic challenges. Through confidential interviews, surveys, and collaborative analysis, she identifies underlying issues and provides practical, strengths-based recommendations to enhance workplace culture, trust, and team effectiveness. These assessments support early conflict intervention and long-term organizational health.

Before transitioning to private practice, Emily served as a Commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in Denver, Colorado. There, she provided mediation services for labor and employment disputes across multiple sectors, helping parties reach sustainable agreements through open dialogue and practical solutions.

Internationally, Emily served with the Office of Conflict Management & Prevention, where she worked on a mission to professionalize and support mediators across Kosovo. Her efforts included designing and delivering customized training programs, mentoring local practitioners, and advising on institutional development to help establish a more robust and sustainable alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework. She collaborated with local stakeholders, international organizations, and governmental entities to strengthen mediation systems in a region undergoing post-conflict recovery. Emily’s work played a vital role in fostering long-term capacity, promoting inclusive dialogue, and advancing peaceful conflict resolution in a complex and evolving environment.

Earlier in her career, Emily worked as a Labor Relations Specialist in Los Angeles, representing school employees in collective bargaining negotiations. She also served as a mediator with the County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer & Business Affairs, where she mediated civil, family law, and court-ordered disputes at the California Superior Court.

Emily now offers tailored mediation and consulting services to clients nationwide, drawing on her diverse background, cultural competency, and a deep commitment to neutrality and sustainable resolution.

Whether supporting labor-management negotiations, guiding teams through organizational change, or helping individuals find common ground in high-conflict situations, Emily brings empathy, clarity, and structure to every conversation. Her work is grounded in the belief that with the right process and support, even the most challenging conflicts can lead to growth, understanding, and lasting solutions.