New Neutral-In-Residence Named, Marking 25 Years of ILR Program

Cornell University’s ILR School announced Hilary Mofsowitz as the Jean McKelvey Neutral-In-Residence for the 2025-26 academic year. Mofsowitz’s appointment comes 25 years after the ILR School announced the first Jean McKelvey Neutral-In-Residence, Marcia Greenbaum. 

Mofsowitz has 27 years of experience as a neutral, mediator and arbitrator in labor and employment, specifically workplace dispute resolution. She began her career by navigating the transforming labor law of post-apartheid South Africa, and she has since served as a senior commissioner, championed diversity in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and mentored new neutrals for over 15 years.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized and selected for this prestigious appointment,” said Mofsowitz. “In line with the goals and objectives of this exciting program, I wish to build on the achievements of the great neutrals who came before me.”

“Other than being a mediator and an arbitrator, I’ve been very involved as a trainer and mentor of new neutrals,” said Mofsowitz, who was featured as a panelist at the Scheinman Institute’s “Evolution of Workplace ADR” event in November. 

“I am extremely excited to motivate and inspire students to fully appreciate their important future contributions to the world of ADR. I intend to reach out to students and student clubs to debate and motivate the importance of ADR and its vital role in today’s global society.”

As the Jean McKelvey Neutral-In-Residence, Mofsowitz said she hopes to inspire the next generation of practitioners by engaging with ILR students through lectures, mentorship and campus visits. “That is an area that is one of my great passions.” 

Since arriving in the United States in February 2020, Mofsowitz has quickly established a robust labor arbitration practice, blending her global expertise with the same commitment to fair labor relations that made her a name for herself in South Africa. 

“It is very exciting to build and expand the contributions of an icon such as Jean McKelvey,” said Mofsowitz. “Acknowledging that [McKelvey] was the first female president of the National Academy of Arbitrators, I am the first member of the NAA to be accepted into the Academy based on work outside the US and Canada. I hope that the work I do with students will honor her legacy and expand the path forward that she bravely started.”