Tara Taylor
Instructor
Tara Taylor, MPA, is a dynamic senior instructional trainer, consultant, and nationally recognized conflict management expert whose 25+ year career has been dedicated to helping leaders, teams, and organizations engage across differences with clarity, courage, and skill. As Managing Director of ADR Vantage, Inc., she leads the firm’s strategic direction while designing and delivering high-impact training, mediation, facilitation, and organizational development services for federal agencies, private sector, and nonprofit clients.
Tara’s expertise bridges collaborative problem-solving, government relations, and leadership development with a deep commitment to driving organizational effectiveness efforts that build powerful and positive workplace cultures. She has served clients including the TSA, the U.S. Air Force, NARA, EEOC, DHS, and PepsiCo, equipping managers and employees with practical tools to navigate workplace conflict, strengthen team effectiveness, and lead inclusively.
Over the course of her career, she has trained a wide variety of professionals, mediated hundreds of disputes, designed integrated conflict management systems, and created and directed Maryland’s first statewide civil rights government mediation program.
A highly engaging facilitator and “Top 10 Speaker” recognized by SHRM, Tara is known for her energetic, interactive training style and her ability to translate complex group dynamics into actionable skills. She has taught mediation, negotiation, and conflict management at the graduate level and authored journal articles on dispute resolution and intergroup dialogue. Whether leading in-person intensives, virtual programs, or multi-day strategic retreats or skills trainings, she creates environments where participants feel challenged, supported, and inspired to grow.
Grounded in an M.S. in Public Administration from Wilmington University and a coaching certification from the NeuroLeadership Institute (NLI), Tara brings both systems thinking and human insight to her work. She coaches executives, supervisors, and emerging leaders to build cultures of accountability, inclusion, and resilience. Above all, Tara is driven by a passion for helping workplaces and communities move beyond polarization toward productive, mission-focused conversations, turning conflict into an opportunity for stronger leadership and sustainable results.
