Michael Jenkins’s career includes work as a community development professional, lawyer, educator, and mediator. Mr. Jenkins served as legal counsel to the City of Rockford Community Development Department where he instituted the first redevelopment project in the state of Illinois, in 1978. He taught law at Louisiana State University for two years.
After moving to San Diego, Mr. Jenkins was director of a community-based nonprofit; worked for then-Assemblywoman Lucy Killea; then joined the City of San Diego in progressively responsible positions, including Economic Development Division Director, Redevelopment Agency Executive Director, and subsequently Community Development Department Assistant Director. He left the City in 2003 to practice law in the areas of redevelopment, land use, and nonprofit corporations law. He retired from practicing law at the end of 2009 and now focuses exclusively on mediation.
As a mediator, Mr. Jenkins has served on the San Diego Superior Court, National Conflict Resolution Center, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission panels. He has mediated over 500 cases since 1991 involving such issues as personal injury, business dissolution, race discrimination, corporate shareholders, sexual harassment, CEQA, etc.
Mr. Jenkins earned a cum laude JD from the Southern Illinois University Lesar Law School, where he also studied policy analysis in the MPA program; is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Texas, and California; and received a mediator credential from the National Conflict Resolution Center. He has taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law and the San Diego State University School of Business Administration, and is currently an Adjunct at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Courses include: Introduction to Mediation and supervise students in the Advanced Mediation skills clinic.