Robert A. Baruch Bush and Joseph P. Folger are the acknowledged originators of the transformative model of mediation and its best-known exponents. They are cofounders of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation.
Bush is the Rains Distinguished Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution Law at Hofstra University School of Law. He has authored more than two dozen articles and books on mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

Folger is professor of adult and organizational development at Temple University. He has published extensively on mediation and conflict and is coauthor of the award-winning text Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups and Organizations.