Wanda Donnelly

Wanda Donnelly is an Attorney Advisor with the Office of the Ombudsman at the Department of State. She has served as a mediator with Multidoor handling family law disputes with the DC courts.

Wanda was also the Deputy Director with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Division (ADR) at the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. In that capacity, she administered the Court’s Pre-Hearing Conference and Mediation Programs. Wanda also mediated civil appellate cases, including contract, tort, estate, guardianship, foreclosure, real property, and domestic disputes. She has eight years of mediation experience, certified in both Tennessee and Maryland.

Prior to joining the Court of Special Appeals, Wanda served as a child welfare law subject matter expert with the Tennessee Supreme Court. In that role, key responsibilities included drafting legislation and working with state representatives to encourage the passage of bills affecting child welfare. Further, she audited juvenile courts and translated the data into strategic plans promoting best practices and compliance with state and federal statutes.

Wanda also served as a staff attorney with Legal Aid of East Tennessee where she provided legal representation in civil matters including housing, employment, healthcare, domestic, child welfare, and consumer disputes. Previously, Wanda served on the Board of Directors of the Knox County Community Mediation Center.

Wanda is a member of the Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence (MPME), the ABA Dispute Resolution section, the Association of Conflict Resolution, and the International Ombudsman Association. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia and her JD from the University of Illinois College of Law.