The Scathingly Brilliant Scholarship of Lisa Blomgren Amsler (Formerly Bingham)* Mariana D. Hernandez-Crespo, 1 David B. Lipsky, 2 Tina Nabatchi 3 and Rosemary O’Leary 4 1 Saint Thomas University School of Law, Miami, FL, U.S.A. 2 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, U.S.A. 3 Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A. 4 School of Public Affairs, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, U.S.A. Keywords Collaboration, conflict resolution, arbitration, mediation, ADR, public participation. Correspondence Rosemary O’Leary, School of Public Affairs, University of Kansas, 1450 Wescoe Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045, U.S.A.; e-mail: oleary@ku.edu. doi: 10.1111/ncmr.12125 Abstract This essay honors Lisa Blomgren Amsler (formerly Bingham) as an Inter- national Association for Conflict Management Jeffrey Z. Rubin Award recipient (2006). Lisa is the author or co-author of over 125 path-break- ing publications that span the fields of dispute resolution, negotiation, conflict management, public administration, public policy, law, philoso- phy, and organizational studies, among many others. She the consum- mate example of “thinking DaVinci” —using lateral thinking, moving fluidly across contexts and perspectives, taking knowledge from one con- text and applying it to another, and fostering creativity and innovation in scholarship. This article focuses on Lisa’s contributions in the areas of mandatory arbitration and the effects of mediation, justice, and justness in alternative dispute resolution and public participation, and collabora- tive public management. In addition, we highlight Lisa’s impact outside the United States. We give Lisa the last word where she analyzes gaps in research and practice, as well as the future of the field. A generous scholar, teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend, Lisa Blomgren Amsler (formerly Bingham) has lavished praise on those around her, often charitably referring to their ideas as “scathingly brilliant” (quoting Hayley Mills, playing a wayward nun in the movie The Trouble With Angels, 1966). While appreciated, most of us recognize this praise as a reflection of her goodwill and kindness. However, to call Lisa’s scholarship “scathingly brilliant” is not an act of charity. It is simply a truth. This essay honors Lisa Blomgren Amsler (formerly Bingham) as an International Association for Conflict Management (IACM) Jeffrey Z. Rubin Award recipient (2006). Many scholars are content to pursue the questions laid out in the work of others. This is not the case for Lisa. She has been, and continues to be, on the forefront of research in collaborative governance, pub- lic engagement, dispute resolution, conflict management systems, arbitration, mediation, and other areas of conflict studies. She is not afraid to ask tough and uncomfortable questions, to defy commonly held *The following colleagues and former students of Lisa Blomgren Amsler’s are thanked for their inspiring stories that contributed to the development of this manuscript: Susan Raines, Gina Viola, Lisa-Marie Napoli, Rebecca Nesbit, Kirk Emerson, Peter Kamminga, Won Kyung Chang, and Adrian Borbely. We regret that page constraints would not allow us to print their moving tributes to Lisa. Authors’ names are alphabetical; Rosemary O’Leary is thanked for leading this project. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research Volume 12, Number 4, Pages 343–366 © 2018 International Association for Conflict Management and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 343