Heidi Ricci earned her BA in Human Development & Family Studies and in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island, where she grew up. A resident of New Mexico since 2002, she earned her MA in Health Communication at the University of New Mexico and has been teaching in the Department of Communication & Journalism since 2013.  

Her classes include Nonverbal, Intercultural, and Interpersonal Communication, Interviewing, and Persuasion. A certified mediator since 2005, she also teaches Conflict Management and Mediation. In 2020, she created an advanced mediation course where her students can earn their basic mediation certificate. Heidi believes that learning to deal with conflict productively is a life skill everyone should have.  

Having worked for 15 years in the NM state courts, Heidi’s mediation experience includes divorce, custody and civil mediations; Children, Youth, and Family Department’s Abuse & Neglect mediation program; Employment and family mediations. She is a mediation trainer and has been a frequent speaker at conferences. 

At UNM, Heidi is faculty advisor for YANA (You Are Not Alone) a UNM student organization her advanced students started. YANA is a culturally diverse, inclusive, and safe space for the student population to come and connect with others while learning how to deal with conflict in their lives more effectively.  

Heidi is an IPE Faculty Champion Committee Member and was awarded Outstanding PTI/Term Teacher Instructor award in 2020-2021.  

Publication: co-author the 3rd edition Mediation: Empowerment in Conflict Management (2020) which can be found here: https://books.google.com/books/about/Mediation.html?id=-W7KDwAAQBAJ