Certified Labor Relations Leader - CLRL

Mary A. Bedikian, JD, is the former District Vice President, Detroit Region, of the American Arbitration Association, an organization for which she worked for 28 years. Her extensive experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) spans many sectors and includes training mediators and arbitrators in both the process and substance of ADR. Ms. Bedikian is an instructor for Administering the Labor Contract, Managing Grievances, and Preparing for Arbitration.

John P. Beck, M.A., is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Resources & Labor Relations at Michigan State University. He previously served as associate director of the School, primarily in charge of two of the School's outreach units, the Labor Education Program and Union Management Initiatives. He also co-directs a project (with Karen Klomparens, the Dean of the MSU Graduate School), "Building Mutual Expectations and Resolving Conflicts in Graduate Education," on the use of interest-based conflict resolution approaches for graduate students and their faculty mentors. John holds degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. He worked for five years on the staff of the University of Michigan Labor Studies Center. He has taught labor studies on the community college level in both Oklahoma and Michigan and has taught history and education courses at the university level.

Stacy Hickox, JD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University. Stacy practiced law in the area of disability law at Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service prior to coming to SHRLR. Ms. Hickox also taught for several years at MSU's law school, including courses in employment law, civil rights, and disability law. Stacy has written a book on the Americans with Disabilities Act and several law review articles on various aspects of employment law. Her current research focuses on the employment of ex-offenders, including potential claims for adverse impact and negligent hiring liability.

Greg Freehling, MLIR has been leading and managing the relationships and accountability required to create successful labor outcomes for over 30 years. He was the Director of Labor Relations for Arconic at his retirement. In this role, he was accountable for the global labor relations for the corporation. His career spans plant and corporate responsibilities across Alcoa and its spin-off Arconic, as a labor relations manager, human resources manager, and corporate labor relations consulting and administration duties. He is a subject matter expert with an extensive background in contract administration, grievance and arbitration advocacy and contract negotiations. He has provided training, advice, and counsel across Alcoa and Arconic locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. He's developed and conducted labor relations training programs for labor relations and line supervisors and leaders, and managed stakeholder communications before and during negotiations. In addition, he has been teaching courses for the School of Human Resources and Industrial Relations Professional Development program for the past eight years.

Tina M. Riley, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University (MSU). She is the Director of the School's Human Resource Executive Education program and holds a PhD in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education as well as a Master of Arts in Labor Relations and Human Resources from MSU. Dr. Riley is a results-based educator and executive coach with expertise helping individual leaders and organizations, achieve their full potential through high-impact communications that build trust and promote inclusion and engagement.

She adopts an engaging and holistic approach to teaching that facilitates learners' ability to move from theory to practice. Her teaching style makes complex concepts accessible to graduate students and seasoned professionals alike. Dr. Riley teaches academic and professional development classes on a variety of HR and leadership topics including communications, leadership development, managing change, diversity and inclusion, conducting workplace investigations, and HR's role in cybersecurity.