Keynote speaker Randi Zuckerberg was the big draw for the Shenandoah University Graduate Business School “Business Symposium” on March 30, 2018. But she was not the only draw. Charles Lickson, President of Lalo, Inc. and Senior Neutral for Conflict Management Consortium spoke in the afternoon about “Avoiding and/or Resolving Conflict.” His session, which was one of many break-out sessions for the event was a “sell-out.” Registrars for the 2018 event had to close registering for Lickson’s portion over a week in advance of his talk. “I see a close relationship between Art and Conflict,” Lickson said. “In fact, many artists are conflicted internally or externally (i.e. with others) and Art is a way of dealing with it,” he added. The confluence of art and conflict resolution is a topic Charles Lickson should know a great deal about. His book, IRONING IT OUT: SEVEN SIMPLE STEPS TO RESOLVING CONFLICT has sold thousands of copies in the United States and in Europe. Lickson is a former practicing attorney, turned mediator, turned art professional. He and wife, Bryane Lickson, founded Lalo, Inc. (Let Art Live On) several years ago. Bryane is also a mediator, as well as an accomplished artist, art teacher and author. The Licksons co-authored several books including NEGOTIATION BASICS (5TH Edition – Logical Operations Books). A new edition of IRONING IT OUT is scheduled for publication in early Summer, 2018. “I’m still involved with helping individuals and organizations deal first with avoiding conflict, if possible, but not back away if they have to engage or address the emerging internal or external conflicts,” he reported. “Helping people and organizations is, in itself, a fulfilling – almost artistic undertaking,” he added. The group at Shenandoah University heard Lickson say, among other things, that conflict can be very productive, but he was quick to add, that it can also be very destructive. “All we have to do is look at the News these days to see that is true,” he said. Lickson is both Senior Neutral for Conflict Management Consortium and President of Lalo, Inc. Lalo is the administrator of “Buy Art Fight Poverty” for A Future Without Poverty, Inc. an IRS 501(c)(3) worldwide charitable organization. (www.buyartfightpoverty.org). Charles Lickson can be reached at: clickson@comcast.net or 540-660-4643.