About CBI: News & Views

August 2007—Lexington, MA

David Fairman, Managing Director of the Consensus Building Institute, received the 2007 World Peace and Understanding Award, presented by the Rotary Club of Lexington, Mass.

The ceremony was held during intermission at the Tuesday evening concert of the Lexington Bicentennial Band at the bandstand in Hastings Park.

Nominations were solicited throughout the community for a person who has actively worked to increase understanding between conflicting groups with the goal of peaceful interaction, has demonstrated outstanding leadership, and has made and objective difference in the community.

Frank Smith Jr., Rotary past president, said of Fairman, “He is an outstanding candidate and a perfect fit for this award. Rotary has long promoted world peace and understanding, and David Fairman has made tremendous contributions to that cause.”

In accepting the award, Fairman, who lives in Lexington with his wife and two young sons, said, “I try to help people stop fighting and start to work together. Rotary supports the same things that I work on, and I couldn’t be happier with the award.”

Since 1989, when Fairman began his career as a mediator and counselor in landlord-tenant relations for the Somerville Community Development Corp., he has brought his skill in both mediating and teaching others the art of conflict resolution and consensus-building to a wide range of areas the U.S. and abroad.