Larry E. Nutt, Ph.D. - President
Larry E. Nutt, Ph.D. was born in Riverside CA. and educated at Reed College. He received his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Chicago. He has taught Criminal Justice at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey since 1975. Dr. Nutt was part of the first group of volunteer mediators trained by Community Justice Institute/Community Mediation Services in 1980. He has done both community and family mediations. He has been a member of the CMS Board since 1996. In his free time, Dr. Nutt enjoys reading, gold collecting, and repairing old fountain pens.

James E. Wren, Vice President
James E. Wren received his Bachelor of Science degree from Lafayette University and is a former S/Sgt. for the U.S. Army. His employment experiences include: Management Trainee with National Gypsum, Industrial Engineer with Container Corp. of America, Production Control Manager with Conflow Corp., 20 years as President of the L.G. Nester Corporation, broker-salesperson with Parker and Dudas Real Estate, and Appraiser for Appraisals Services Inc. In addition to his employment experience, Mr. Wren has been very active as a volunteer within his community. He was a Director and President of the Millville Hospital Board of Directors, Director of the Millville YMCA, Director and President of the Millville United Way, Commodore and Board Member of the Yacht Club of Stone Harbor, Trustee and Treasurer of the Margate Community Church, Director on the Board of the Atlantic County Board of Realtors, volunteer with Heavenly Scavengers at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Stone Harbor, and has been a volunteer mediator for CMS since 1996. In 2001, Mr. Wren was appointed to the CMS Board of Directors. He received the Kiwanis Award for Millville Citizen of the Year in 1977 and received the Volunteer of the Month award from the United Way of Atlantic County in December 1999.

Jim and his wife Karin reside in Stone Harbor. They have seven children and nine grandchildren. In his spare time, Jim enjoys sailing, swimming, golfing, walking, birding, tennis, Elderhostle trips, and spending time with his family.

Samantha S. Wolf, Esquire - Secretary
Samantha S. Wolf, Esquire is a Hofstra University graduate and received her law degree from Widner University. She is presently a partner in the firm of Rosenberger & Wolf in Linwood. Her law practice is concentrated in matters of family law, real estate, civil litigation and municipal court. Ms. Wolf currently serves as a Matrimonial Early Settlement Panelist and as a Special Civil Part Mediator. She is a Trustee of the Atlantic County Bar Association and presently serves as the President for the Atlantic County Municipal Court Prosecutor’s Association. Secretary of the New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutor's Association. She is also a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court District I Ethics Committee. Ms. Wolf is currently the municipal court prosecutor for the city of Port Republic. Ms. Wolf is on the Advisory Board for Adelaide’s Place, a day center for homeless women in Atlantic City and is the Fundraising/Event Planner Co-Chair in that organization. Ms. Wolf resides in Ventnor where she enjoys jogging on the boardwalk and spending time on the beach.

Jean I. Abbott -Treasurer
Jean I. Abbott is a manager at the accounting and consulting firm of Giuliano Miller &Company where she specializes in corporate bankruptcy matters.  She is also an adjunct at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, located in Pomona, NJ, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate accounting and finance courses.  Ms. Abbott is a Certified Public Accountant with a Masters of Business degree from Monmouth University and a Bachelor of Science degree from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.  Previously, Ms. Abbott was employed by the Claridge Casino Hotel where she served in increasingly responsible management positions over a twenty-one year period, including:  Chief Financial Officer, member of the Board of Directors, and Secretary to the Board of Directors.  Ms. Abbott resides in English Creek with her husband, Andrew.

Cynthia Hamer
Cynthia Hamer is a graduate of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She received her Master of Arts from Glassboro State College. Ms. Hamer is employed with Atlantic County Government as the Administrator of the Atlantic County Youth Services Commission and Children & Family Initiative. Ms. Hamer serves as an appointed member of the New Jersey Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Committee. She is past Co-Chairperson of the NJ Association of County Youth Services Commissions and serves on several local boards and commissions. Ms. Hamer has been serving on the Board of Directors for Community Mediation Services since 2002. Ms. Hamer resides in Galloway with her husband Peter.

Cheryl R. Kaus, Ph.D.

Cheryl R. Kaus, Ph.D., is Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Recently from the State University of New York at Oswego, where she chaired the Department of Psychology, Dr. Kaus joined Stockton in 2004. She received her degree in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Kaus’ areas of specialization include gerontology, successful aging, and program development and evaluation. She resides in the Blue Heron Pines community of Egg Harbor City, and enjoys running as a fitness activity.

Beth Levy

Jeffrey Light, Esq.
Jeffrey Light, Esq., is a Rutgers University graduate and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Light is presently a private law practitioner in Atlantic County. His areas of expertise are business and divorce mediation; business employment, environmental, real estate, insurance, construction, and healthcare law and litigation; representation before government Boards and agencies, and arbitration. Mr. Light has been an Arbitrator and Early Settlement Panelist since 1985 along with being the presiding commissioner of the New Jersey Superior Court Condemnation Commissions since 1995. He is a diversified mediator for the New Jersey Superior Court and the New Jersey State Bar Association and has published many articles about the EPA’s Statutory Authority. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the Atlantic County Bar Association and the Northfield-Linwood Kiwanis. Since 1998 Mr. Light has been a volunteer mediator for CMS and has served on the Board of Directors since 1999.

Audrey R. McCant
Audrey R. McCant was appointed to the CMS Board of Directors in June 2004. She is a native of Rochester, New York, and has lived in Southern New Jersey since 1980. Mrs. McCant has been employed by Atlantic County Government for more than 23 years. She currently serves as the Assistant Personnel Officer and assists the Director of Human Resources in maintaining liaison between the agency and other government bodies in matters of personnel administration, and in coordinating personnel programs, policies, and practices for employees. She earned an Associate of Science in Business Administration from Atlantic Cape Community College of New Jersey and a Bachelor of Science in Business Studies from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Mrs. McCant resides in Egg Harbor Township with her husband, Eric, and three children.

John McLernon
Graduating with a Master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University, John McLernon is a licensed clinical social worker.  Currently the director of social services and community relations for the Atlantic County Department of Public Safety, John administers the discharge planning project for all inmates leaving the county jail and returning to the community.

Working with approximately 30 social services agencies, the purpose of this initiative is to reduce the recidivism rate by designing interventions which directly cause the person’s incarceration.

Because substance dependency and mental illness are significant contributors to recidivism, a strong emphasis is on treating these disorders in order to ensure successful stabilization once released.

Beth Olsen
Beth Olsen graduated from University of Aberdeen in Scotland with a Master’s in mental philosophy.  She has worked in pre-award grants administration at Richard Stockton College since 1985, building their infrastructure for grant-seeking.  In addition, Beth has responsibilities for compliance issues, and coordinates all internal award programs.  Within the Provost’s office, she serves as support staff to many institution-wide projects, including civic engagement, diversity and experiential learning.   Along the way Beth has served as project director for several volunteer-based programs which primarily supported community needs.  Beth is an active member of national professional organizations, serving on committees in the Grants Resource Center, International Society of Research Administrators and the National Council of University Research Administrators. She and her husband have recently moved to Atlantic City and have two grown daughters.

Murray Talasnik, Esquire
Murray Talasnik, Esq. serves as First Assistant Atlantic County Prosecutor. He is a graduate of Marietta College and Villanova University School of Law. In his present position, Mr. Talasnik supervises all litigation functions within the Prosecutor's Office.

He also serves as a member of the Atlantic County Criminal Division Speedy Trial Committee, an instructor at the Atlantic County Police Training Center, and an office of the Atlantic County Bar Association. Mr. Talasnik resides in Margate.